Wildlife, forests are our vaccines — ACB
While the roll-out of vaccines boosts confidence, this does not fully protect and immunize us from new and emerging diseases that result from the many human-driven activities in our midst
The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) said the unprecedented rate by which we are losing our wildlife had hit much closer to home when the Covid-19 pandemic and its global consequences affected our ways of living and brought suffering to many places in the world.
While the roll-out of vaccines boosts confidence, this does not fully protect and immunize us from new and emerging diseases that result from the many human-driven activities in our midst.
In celebrating World Wildlife Day, the ACB takes the opportunity to direct attention to the role of wildlife habitats, most especially forests.
It said the theme of this year’s celebration, “Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet,” is a timely reminder of the life support that forest ecosystems provide, amid the global heal pandemic.
The high species diversity and endemicity in ASEAN forests makes the region one of the world’s critical habitats.
However, according to the Global Forest Resources Assessment of the Food and Agriculture Organization, from 2.18 million square kilometers (sq.km.) in 2000, the total forest areas in the 10 ASEAN member states contracted to 2.07 million sq.km. in 2020.
Inevitably, this decline has been causing fragmentation and habitat loss for important animals and plants, not to mention the displacement of indigenous peoples
and the reduction of natural buffers for calamities.
That ACB stressed that this ongoing global health crisis has brought about deeper reflection and discussion on the repercussions of our relationship with wildlife and the many pathways to safeguard nature.
In a recent webinar on preventing pandemics hosted by World Wildlife Fund, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine,and Cornell Atkinson Centre for Sustainability, and moderated by Thomas Friedman of The New York Times, it emphasized that apart from enforcing laws against wildlife crimes at the national and regional levels, it is crucial to stop emerging diseases at the source, meaning actions should begin before animals are taken out of their natural habitats.
Wildlife supplies raw materials to sustain the livelihoods of communities living in and around their habitats, and provides basic necessities, such as food and natural cure for various ailments.
Increasing the coverage and improving the management of protected areas will reduce threats on ecosystems and lessen opportunities for viruses originating from wildlife to spill over to domestic animals and humans.
“Indeed, protecting our wildlife species contributes to increasing our resiliency,” the ACB stressed.
“They not only contain and regulate diseases, but they also contribute to the ecological balance and expansion of forests,” it emphasized.
According to the ACB, wildlife supplies raw materials to sustain the livelihoods of communities living in and around their habitats, and provides basic necessities, such as food and natural cure for various ailments, particularly now that the people are directly affected.
“As we face one crisis after another, we need to take into account the importance of the diversity of flora and fauna in our response and recovery efforts,” it explained.
Following this development, it said that the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework, which was adopted by the ASEAN leaders in November 2020, calls for a whole-of-community participation and collaboration among sectors.
The ACB is optimistic that an integrated approach in protecting and conserving wildlife, along with effective immunization programs, are concrete steps towards ASEAN’s recovery as well as in building resilience against future pandemics.