A brainstorming meeting on avian flu has raised special concerns over the potential impact of avian flu in biodiversity “hot spot” areas.

The meeting, which was held in Curitiba, Brazil on 19 March 2006, recommended a number of measures, including: increased surveillance and monitoring of wild birds and mammals in affected countries; beefed up training of wildlife and veterinary staff in developing countries; increased surveillance and possibly tougher penalties for illegal traders in wild birds and mammals; vaccination of rare species at risk both in the wild and in zoos; and realistic compensation for owners of culled poultry in poor countries, possibly through increases in overseas development aid.
Links to further information
Bird flu may prove big threat to biological diversity – UN Environment Agency, UN news release, 22 March 2006
The report of the meeting, March 2006