The 2nd Webinar for the Wildlife Health Network in Europe was held on 10th April 2024. The meeting had 25 participants representing 16 WOAH members. The webinar aimed to provide WOAH Focal Points for Wildlife knowledge on issues related to wildlife trade in Europe through two presentations.
The first guest speaker, Ilaria Di Silvestre, Head of EU Policy and Campaigns, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), presented the current situation and challenges of wildlife trade in the region, the role of the cyber-enabled wildlife trade, EU actions and legal resources to act against wildlife trafficking (CITES, Environmental Crime Directive, the Digital Services Act, and the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking), the loopholes in the EU legislation, Policy Solutions like the establishment of shared and detailed databases, the collaboration with adequate rescue centres and zoos, and the development of an IFAW e-learning module for the training of personnel handling of confiscated wild animals.
The second guest speaker, Sophie Gryseels, a researcher at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, shared a successful multisectoral work story at the country level (Belgium) through the presentation of the INTERCEPT project. The INTERCEPT aims to increase the knowledge of the overall wildlife trade exchange and the national market in Belgium to develop proper recommendations for the ministers to develop policies. Sophie explained the procedures for the collection of samples from animals and animal products that enter Belgium through Brussels airport, the collaborative work between customs, veterinary services, researchers, CITES and governmental authorities, the DNA analyses performed for the identification of species traded as well as the pathogens they may carry, the prelaminar results obtained that included the analyses of more than 300 samples of which 30% belonged to wild animals of which 20% were identified as species of conservation concern according to IUCN and CITES.
Backgroud
In 2020, The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) developed the Wildlife Health Programme to expand its work in wildlife health and invest itself in promoting the growth of surveillance systems for wildlife health at regional, national and international levels, and advocate WOAH Members to re-evaluate the importance and visibility given to wildlife health in their countries.
Through the Wildlife Health Framework the WOAH aims to reinforce One Health strategies to respond to a global need better to manage risks from emerging diseases at the human-animal-ecosystem interface, whilst protecting wildlife. The framework recognises that animal health, balanced ecosystems, and biodiversity contribute to achieving One Health, and pursues two main objectives: the promotion of the risk management of disease emergence at the human-animal-ecosystems interface and the protection of wildlife health.
To reach these goals, WOAH has developed a Wildlife Health Network to build knowledge and awareness amongst national veterinary services about their role in better protecting wildlife health and strengthen WOAH Members’ capacity for early detection of pathogens in wildlife, wildlife surveillance and management systems, information management, risk assessment, and implementation of mitigation measures. This approach will support creating an enabling environment and foster sustainable partnerships between veterinary services, wildlife management authorities and other relevant partners in public health, wildlife conservation and scientific academic bodies.
In this context, the WOAH Sub-Regional Representation in Brussels organized a series of webinars to increase knowledge in different Wildlife Health and One Health topics, improve the interaction and create new connections between the members of the network, the National Focal Points of Wildlife in Europe (comprising 53 countries) and different wildlife health stakeholders, and strengthen the collaboration and connection between the members of the network.