COVID-19 Highlights the Need for More Effective Wildlife Trade Legislation

Amaël Borzée; Jeffrey McNeely; Kit Magellan; Jennifer R B Miller; Lindsay Porter; Trishna Dutta; Krishnakumar P Kadinjappalli; Sandeep Sharma; Ghazala Shahabuddin; Fikty Aprilinayati; Gerard E Ryan; Alice Hughes; Aini Hasanah Abd Mutalib; Ahmad Zafir Abdul Wahab; Damber Bista; Suchana Apple Chavanich; Ju Lian Chong; George A Gale; Hanyeh Ghaffari; Yadav Ghimirey; Vijaya Kumaran Jayaraj; Ambika Prasad Khatiwada; Monsoon Khatiwada; Murali Krishna; Ngwe Lwin; Prakash Kumar Paudel; Chinara Sadykova; Tommaso Savini; Bharat Babu Shrestha; Colin T Strine; Makamas Sutthacheep; Ee Phin Wong; Thamasak Yeemin; Natasha Zulaika Zahirudin; Li Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2020.10.001

COVID-19 Highlights the Need for More Effective Wildlife Trade Legislation

Trends Ecol Evol. 2020 Dec;35(12):1052-1055. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.10.001. Epub 2020 Oct 7.

Authors

Amaël Borzée¹, Jeffrey McNeely², Kit Magellan³, Jennifer R B Miller⁴, Lindsay Porter⁵, Trishna Dutta⁶, Krishnakumar P Kadinjappalli⁷, Sandeep Sharma⁸, Ghazala Shahabuddin⁹, Fikty Aprilinayati¹⁰, Gerard E Ryan¹¹, Alice Hughes¹², Aini Hasanah Abd Mutalib¹³, Ahmad Zafir Abdul Wahab¹⁴, Damber Bista¹⁵, Suchana Apple Chavanich¹⁶, Ju Lian Chong¹⁷, George A Gale¹⁸, Hanyeh Ghaffari¹⁹, Yadav Ghimirey²⁰, Vijaya Kumaran Jayaraj²¹, Ambika Prasad Khatiwada²², Monsoon Khatiwada²³, Murali Krishna²⁴, Ngwe Lwin¹⁸, Prakash Kumar Paudel²⁵, Chinara Sadykova²⁶, Tommaso Savini¹⁸, Bharat Babu Shrestha²⁷, Colin T Strine²⁸, Makamas Sutthacheep²⁹, Ee Phin Wong³⁰, Thamasak Yeemin³¹, Natasha Zulaika Zahirudin³⁰, Li Zhang³²

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Animal Behaviour and Conservation, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Xuanwu Qu, Nanjing, 210037, People's Republic of China; Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; 1445/29 Petchkasem Rd., sati Cha-Am, Petchburi 76120, Thailand.
³ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; University of Battambang, Sangkat Preak Preah Sdach, Battambang, 02353, Cambodia.
⁴ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; Center for Conservation Innovation, Defenders of Wildlife, Washington, DC 20036, USA.
⁵ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; Sea Mammal Research Unit, Lippo Centre, Admiralty, Hong Kong SAR.
⁶ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; Wildlife Science, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, 37077, Germany.
⁷ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; Center for Environment and Water, Research Institute, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia.
⁸ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; Department of Conservation Biology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, 37073, Germany.
⁹ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; Centre for Ecology, Development and Research (CEDAR), Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248006, India.
¹⁰ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; Universitas Nasional, Jalan Sawo Manila RT.6/ RW.7 Jati Padang, Jakarta 12520, Indonesia.
¹¹ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, 3010, Victoria, Australia.
¹² Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; Centre for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, 666303, People's Republic of China.
¹³ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; School of Biological Science, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden, Penang, 11800, Malaysia.
¹⁴ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; The Habitat Foundation, Bukit Bendera, Penang, 11300, Malaysia.
¹⁵ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; Wildlife Science Unit, SAFS, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia.
¹⁶ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; Reef Biology Research Group, Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand; Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA.
¹⁷ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; Faculty of Science and Marine Environment & Institute of Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia.
¹⁸ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; Conservation Ecology Programme, School of Bioresources & Technology, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bang Mot, Thung Khru, Bangkok, 10140, Thailand.
¹⁹ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran.
²⁰ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; Friends of Nature, P.O. Box 23491, Kathmandu, Nepal.
²¹ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; Global Entrepreneurship Research and Innovation Centre, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Pengkalan Chepa, 16100 Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia; Faculty of Earth Science, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, UMK Jeli Campus, 17600 Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia.
²² Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; National Trust for Nature Conservation, Khumaltar, Lalitpur, Nepal; Research Unit of Biodiversity (UO-CSIC-PA), Mieres Campus University of Oviedo, Asturias, 33003, Spain.
²³ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; Research Unit of Biodiversity (UO-CSIC-PA), Mieres Campus University of Oviedo, Asturias, 33003, Spain.
²⁴ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; Amity Institute of Forestry & Wildlife, Amity University, Noida 201313, India.
²⁵ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; Center for Conservation Biology, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal.
²⁶ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; PA RCE Kyrgyzstan/Arabev Kyrgyz State University, Kyrgyzstan.
²⁷ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, GPO Box 5275, Kathmandu, Nepal.
²⁸ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; School of Biology, Institute of Science, Suranaree University of Technology, Tambol Suranaree, Amphur Muang, Jangwat Nakhon Ratchasima, Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand.
²⁹ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ramkhamhaeng University, Bangkok, Thailand.
³⁰ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; Management & Ecology of Malaysian Elephants, School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Faculty of Science & Engineering, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Jalan Broga, 43500 Semenyih, Selangor, Malaysia.
³¹ Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; Marine Biodiversity Research Group, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ramkhamhaeng University, Bangkok, Thailand.
³² Asia Section, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA; Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Ecological Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China.

Abstract

Zoonosis-based epidemics are inevitable unless we revisit our relationship with the natural world, protect habitats, and regulate wildlife trade, including live animals and non-sustenance products. To prevent future zoonoses, governments must establish effective legislation addressing wildlife trade, protection of habitats, and reduction of the wildlife-livestock-human interface.

Keywords: Asia; biodiversity crisis; conservation; emerging infectious diseases; legislation; pandemic; policy; wildlife trade; wildlife trafficking; zoonoses.

MeSH terms

Animals
Animals, Wild*
Betacoronavirus
COVID-19
Coronavirus Infections*
Humans
Pandemics*
Pneumonia, Viral*
SARS-CoV-2
Zoonoses / epidemiology