We focus on preventive and sustainable measures and translate the commitment, knowledge and political will of our members through a One Health approach.

Who we are

In September 2021 the International Alliance against Health Risks and Wildlife Trade was launched as an inclusive and interdisciplinary platform at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille. Within the first year, more than 100 national and international political, academic and civil society organizations, have joined as members, confirming their commitment to our two central goals.

The Alliance is driven by evidence-based insight, and we address the entire wildlife trade spectrum: from hunting and handling, through trading to consuming wildlife and its products. To reduce the risks of future outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics.

The Alliance helps to join forces for a common cause and expand each member’s radius. We offer matchmaking among members to enable new collaboration and partnership. We translate scientific evidence and insights from local knowledge into concrete policy recommendations.

About 700.000 viruses in wild mammals and birds have the potential to jump over to humans.

What we do

Strategies to identify and address health risks are complex: They must be context-specific and culture-sensitive and require interdisciplinary knowledge exchange, well-coordinated inclusive planning, co-creation and joint actions of many different actors.

We translate the commitment, knowledge and political will of our diverse members into impact by providing and communicating evidence, helping to design countermeasures, and supporting and evaluating interventions—finding solutions that work while concurrently improving health, equity, and well-being for all species—through a One Health approach.

To drive actual changes on the ground we broker knowledge and insights; we encourage and empower evidence-based orientation and regulation. By offering guidance to involved communities and authorities, we help change behavior and improve policy implementation.

Ecosystem disturbance and wildlife exploitation increase the risk for spillover events.

Our goals

1. Substantially reducing the risks of zoonotic spillover and stepping up responses (including behavioral changes) to human and animal health risks caused by direct and indirect contact with wildlife and their products along the wildlife trade chain.

2. Enhancing international and national awareness, knowledge and policies with regard to goal 1, thus narrowing the gap between science and implementation.

Alliance membership

The membership is based on transparency, equal terms, and equal say. We acknowledge the complementarity of the very diverse actors and action fields involved. Through our combined knowledge we’ll narrow the gap between science and implementation. Global awareness, policies and practice will be improved.

With our joint action we strive to substantially reduce unnecessary health risks posed by close contact across the entire wildlife trade spectrum.

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee formulates the strategic plan for the Alliance and set targets for further development and orientation. It identifies topics and priorities for the Alliance’s focus and represents the Alliance and its goals, engage and communicate with other initiatives and external partners in different fora and platforms. It was elected by all Alliance members in June 2022 for a term of three years. To ensure a true representation of the complexity and wealth of our topic and our membership, the Steering Committee is structured in designated seats as follows:

Health & microbiology

Professor Alex D. Greenwood, PhD

Head of Department of Wildlife Diseases

Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany

Wildlife trade, biodiversity conservation

Dr. Barbara Maas

Head of Endangered Species Conservation

NABU International

Global environmental change & big picture

Hongying Li

Senior Programs Manager & Senior Scientist

EcoHealth Alliance

Law, regulation

Dr. Susan Lieberman

Vice-President, International Policy

Wildlife Conservation Society

Anthropology, psychology, behavioral & social sciences

Jamie K. Reaser, PhD

Senior Transdisciplinary Scientist & Policy Analyst

Smithsonian Institution/ Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute

Africa

Dauda Ayomide Onawola

Wildlife Veterinarian & Executive Director

One Health in Action Initiative, Nigeria

Latin America & Caribbean (shared seat)

Marcela Fresno

Assistant professor, researcher and One Health Master’s director, Universidad de Las Américas, Chile (UDLA)

Red One Health Latinoamérica, Ibero y El Caribe (OHLAIC)

Latin America & Caribbean (shared seat)

Christina Pettan-Brewer MV, DVM, MSc

Senior Veterinarian, Co-Director and Associate Professor, Department of Comparative Medicine School of Medicine

University of Washington, Seattle

Asia, Pacific & Oceania

Dr. Sandul Yasobant

Co-Lead cum Researcher

Centre for One Health Education, Research & Development (COHERD), Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar (IIPHG), India

Governmentals or governmental agencies

Chadia Wannous, PhD

One Health Senior Specialist and Global Coordinator

World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH)

Indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ Representative

Bupe Ritha Banda

IPLCs working Group Chair

Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) International

Representative for Individual Members

Dr. Craig Stephen

President, McEachran Institute, Canada

Alliance Secretariat

The Alliance was initiated by the German government, and its secretariat is currently run by the GIZ | Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit in Germany. The secretariat facilitates the smooth operation of the Alliance and its progress towards the Alliance’s goals. It supports the Steering Committee in its work and serves as the Alliance central point of contact.

Dr. Michael Nagel

Head of GIZ-Program

Dr. Kim Grützmacher

Senior Advisor One Health and Biodiversity

Johannes Keil

Advisor Governance

Dr. Beate Henrichfreise

Advisor

Alice Giulia Brandt

Advisor One Health, Biodiversity and Health

Ulrike Bühler

Finance Manager

Ann-Kristin Konzak

Junior Advisor

Nora Leonie Rust

Intern

Alliance Charter and Operational Manual 

The Charter outlines our mission, vision, and goals of the Alliance

The Operational Manual outlines all technical details of our mode of operation and cooperation within the Alliance. To become a member, an applicant shall consent to both documents. 

Alliance Glossary

An Alliance working group with members from various disciplines jointly composed a glossary to define commonly used terms in the context of wildlife trade and health and to ensure common language. Please use content freely, with adequate acknowledgment.