IUCN National wildlife disease surveillance capacity building
Project Overview
The project aimed to strengthen Liberia’s capacity to develop, implement, and evaluate wildlife disease surveillance systems while promoting cross-sectoral One Health collaboration. Through training, pilot surveillance activities, and stakeholder engagement, the project supported national efforts to detect and respond to wildlife-related health risks and zoonotic diseases.
Results & Outcomes
Capacity Building and Training
- Conducted a national wildlife disease surveillance workshop with 31 participants from government, academia, NGOs, and international organisations.
- Strengthened technical knowledge on wildlife disease surveillance, surveillance design, sampling methods, and One Health coordination.
- Facilitated collaboration among wildlife, animal health, public health, laboratory, conservation, policy, and community engagement experts.
Outcome:
Improved national capacity to design and implement wildlife disease surveillance programmes and strengthened interagency cooperation.
Wildlife Disease Surveillance
- Developed surveillance protocols for priority health risks, including:
- Avian influenza surveillance in wild birds
- Tsetse fly surveillance
- Pathogen surveillance at wildlife trade checkpoints
- Implemented Liberia’s first-ever surveillance study for avian influenza in wild birds.
- Analysed 202 wild bird samples from key wetland sites.
- Detected avian influenza virus RNA in samples collected from the Mesurado wetlands, demonstrating the value of ongoing surveillance.
Outcome:
Established practical wildlife disease surveillance systems and generated the first national baseline data on avian influenza in wild birds.
One Health and Institutional Collaboration
- Strengthened collaboration between the Forestry Development Authority, Central Veterinary Laboratory, SCNL, and other national stakeholders.
- Promoted integration of wildlife health surveillance into broader One Health systems.
- Fostered regional exchange through collaboration with wildlife health experts from Ghana and international partners.
Outcome:
Improved coordination between wildlife, animal health, and public health sectors and created a foundation for long-term surveillance programmes.
Cross-Cutting Results
- Adapted international wildlife disease surveillance guidelines to the Liberian context.
- Produced practical surveillance protocols and pilot-testing methodologies that can be replicated nationally and regionally.
- Enhanced awareness of wildlife health risks among national institutions and decision-makers.
- Disseminated lessons learned through regional communications, case studies, news articles, and planned Alliance webinars.
- Promoted biodiversity conservation, participatory surveillance, and inclusive One Health approaches.
Overall Impact
The project established the foundations for a national wildlife disease surveillance system in Liberia and demonstrated how One Health collaboration can strengthen early detection and prevention of zoonotic disease risks. By combining capacity building, pilot surveillance, and institutional cooperation, the project created a scalable model for wildlife health monitoring and pandemic prevention in West Africa.
Find more info here:
Advancing National Wildlife Disease Surveillance Planning in Liberia | PANORAMA