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In its official report on the origins of SARS-CoV-2 today, the World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted the potential disease risks of contact between wildlife and humans, highlighting the life-threatening risk of natural ecosystem destruction that is destroying the buffer, scientists say that they protect us from viruses transmitted by wild animals.
The WHO report can be read Here.
Covid-19 and zoonosis are global problems
Pan Wenjing, Project Manager at Greenpeace East Asia Forests and Oceans said:
“Researchers have increasingly raised alarms about the infectious disease risks of biodiversity loss. These viruses are naturally isolated from us by ecosystems that form a buffer zone. We roll right through this ecological buffer. The Chinese government took some crucial steps over the past year to ban wildlife breeding and food consumption. But more needs to be done, in China and elsewhere. Global health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic will become more common if we don't protect natural ecosystems around the world. "
Clear connection
In addition to direct contact with wildlife, the destruction of natural ecosystems facilitates the spread of infectious diseases through a variety of factors. For example, rich biodiversity protects humans from the transmission of disease by mosquitoes as it thins out large populations of individual species. Areas with higher bird diversity had lower rates of infection with West Nile virus because mosquitoes are less likely to find suitable hosts as an infection vector. Other examples of infectious diseases that are increasing due to encroachment on the ecosystem include yellow fever, Mayaro, and Chagas disease in America.
The global scale and rapid rate of destruction more natural ecosystems bring an increased risk of illness. The main causes are direct human interference, exploitation of resources and high-intensity agribusiness and industrial agriculture.
The COP 15 to the Convention on Biological Diversity is scheduled for October this year in Yunnan, China.
Jennifer Morgan, Executive Director of Greenpeace International, said on Covid-19 and zoonosis: “Because viruses don't care about borders, multilateral cooperation is the most effective strategy for overcoming global crises. Science is certain: the destruction of natural ecosystems is the path to further disease outbreaks. Now is the time to scale up global ecosystem protection ambitions and translate them into real action. Governments and multinationals must bear this responsibility and ensure that supply chains do not put us at risk. "
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Photos: Greenpeace
