Discussing growing threats from emerging and re-emerging pathogens, experts attending the Conference sought to develop a holistic approach to the complex interplay between animal health, public health and the environment, while ensuring the protection of global biodiversity.
24 February 2011: The World Organsation for Animal Health (OIE) Global Conference on Wildlife, titled “Animal Health and Biodiversity – Preparing for the Future,” was held from 23-25 February 2011, in Paris, France.
The conference was hosted in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Ecosystem Health Alliance. It focused on developing a holistic approach to understanding the complex interplay between animal health, public health and the environment, while ensuring the protection of global biodiversity.
The Conference was attended by experts in animal health, public health and wildlife, who discussed the growing threats to wildlife and human health from emerging and re-emerging pathogens of wild and domestic animal origin. Causes of such threats include: changes in land use; expansion into new geographic areas; and the intensification of production to meet increasing food demand.
Participants considered measures to enhance cross-sector communication and cooperation among all parties, including the tourism industry and relevant NGOs, to ensure coordinated risk management approaches at the interface between wildlife, domestic animals and human ecosystems. Specifically, participants recommended reinforcing animal health systems worldwide through the OIE Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) Pathway – a global programme for the sustainable improvement of countries’ veterinary services and compliance with OIE standards. [OIE Press Release] [Conference Website]