The World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH, formerly OIE) recently published its Wildlife Health Framework ‘Protecting Wildlife Health to Achieve One Health’. It recognizes that animal (both wild and domestic) health, balanced ecosystems, and biodiversity contribute to achieving One Health. It also stresses that in response to global trends in disease emergence and biodiversity loss there is an urgent need to strengthen the wildlife component of One Health. The framework sets out concrete actions to manage the risk of disease emergence at the human-animal-ecosystem interface and to protect wildlife health, and stresses that the goals cannot be achieved by WOAH alone. It therefore identifies IUCN as one the key collaborators (alongside Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)) that need to work with WOAH in order to implement the actions and achieve its goals. Through this project IUCN coordinated input to WOAH processes for developing or updating their Standards and guidelines on wildlife disease surveillance, risk assessment and risk management.  Based on the mandates provided to IUCN through its Program, and the WOAH Wildlife Health Framework, IUCN worked with EcoHealth Alliance, an IUCN (NGO) Member, which is a global environmental health non-profit organisation dedicated to protecting wildlife and public health from the emergence of disease. 

To do this Experts from IUCN, EcoHealth Alliance and, SSC Wildlife Health Specialist Group, EcoHealth Alliance, and WOAH met regularly to disseminate guidelines on wildlife disease, promote synergies and maintain progress in the project activities.  

• A web-based feedback form was developed to solicit feedback on the strengths, weaknesses and gaps of the existing guidance and shared with invited peer reviewers representing various wildlife-related sectors, and all Members of the Alliance.  

• Updated guidelines were produced under the project, titled “General Guidelines for Disease, Pathogen, and Toxin Surveillance in Free-Ranging Wildlife: An overview for wildlife authorities and others working with wildlife”. 2024-final-guidelines-disease-pathogen-toxin-surv-wildlife-v27.06.pdf The document covers a much wider and forward-thinking scope of wildlife health and disease surveillance and more specific advice and tools for operational and financial considerations. Based on feedback from reviewers, aspects including stakeholder roles and responsibilities, biosafety, community-based participation, laws and ethics, and resource mobilization are now emphasised. 

Implementation of the Guidelines: Training Workshop on Wildlife Disease Surveillance held in Liberia 

Using the WOAH/IUCN surveillance guidelines as the basis, works with the Society for the Conservation of Nature of Liberia (SCNL, an IUCN member organisation) and experts from the IUCN SSC Wildlife Health Specialist Group (WHSG) collaborated with relevant national authority experts in Liberia to strengthen capacity to develop, implement, and evaluate elements of a wildlife disease surveillance program in line with the national context. The workshop took place March 8-10, 2025 and drew over 30 participants including national vet services, conservation groups and the Africa One Health University Network. Attendees explored the new “Guidelines for the Surveillance of Diseases, Pathogens, and Toxic Agents in FreeRanging Wildlife” (published September 2024), though various activities. A similar approach is foreseen in Vietnam, supporting the Nature4Health (N4H) initiative. 

Lessons Learned: 

Striving for consistency in concepts is important across knowledge and guidance products to promote a common understanding and enable effective collaboration among sectors.   

There is a need for targeted information that is fit for the roles, responsibilities and resources of specific disciplines, such as those working in protected and conserved areas (e.g., rangers) and other wildlife-related sectors.  

There are practical gaps in existing knowledge products related to wildlife disease, pathogen, and toxin surveillance. As a result, intensive outreach on project outputs is required; and further needs for practical tools for surveillance planning, implementation, and use of findings are likely to be identified as this awareness and knowledge grows in the wildlife sector.