Urgent Call for the EU to Strengthen the Environmental Pillar in the One Health Approach
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Advocacy
Wetlands International Europe, together with 41 organisations, call for the EU to strengthen the environmental pillar in the One Health approach and to develop an ambitious EU One Health Strategy that sets out concrete and bold actions that will truly reduce the risks of pathogen spillovers and future epidemics and pandemics of zoonotic origin.
The COVID-19 pandemic, and other disease outbreaks of animal origin such as Ebola, SARS, Mpox, and avian influenza, which have engendered massive loss of human life and suffering with severe societal and economic costs, highlight the urgent need to apply a cross-sectoral One Health approach. The science is clear that the increasing risks of new pandemics of zoonotic origin are directly related to the increased interfaces between wildlife, livestock, and humans caused by land-use change, in particular, the destruction of high-integrity ecosystems, deforestation, and forest degradation and the role of urban markets for live wildlife and trade, paired with wildlife farming practices. In addition, impaired animal welfare can increase animals’ susceptibility to pathogens and the severity of infections, thereby amplifying the risk of pathogen transmission. Recent studies show that the single most effective and cost-effective way to prevent pandemics is to avoid pathogen spillovers between humans, wildlife, and other animals in the first place, referred to as pandemic prevention at the source.
WCS EU and 41 organisations—including several of the world’s leading conservation, environmental, human health, animal health and welfare, animal protection, research and scientific, and development organisations—underscore the critical need for the EU to strengthen the environmental pillar within the One Health approach, both in EU policies and actions in partner countries, to ensure a safe, resilient, and competitive European Union.
We stand ready to work with the EU on One Health implementation and preventing pandemics at the source, and we provide several key recommendations:
- Developing an ambitious EU One Health Strategy that sets out concrete and bold actions that will truly reduce the risks of pathogen spillovers and future epidemics and pandemics of zoonotic origin. This strategy should extend beyond domestic issues and address global threats positioning the EU as a global leader.
- Advocating for an ambitious WHO instrument to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, and ensure that One Health and pandemic prevention at the source remain central.
- Ensuring that the next EU budget as well as global funding instruments, such as the Pandemic Fund, place a greater priority on pandemic prevention at the source, addressing zoonotic disease spillover and emergence and high-integrity ecosystem conservation, while ensuring more funding is directed towards organisations engaged in on-the-ground conservation efforts (primary prevention).
- Promoting full consideration and meaningful inclusion of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, civil society organisations, and youth groups at every stage of decision-making processes in multilateral fora related to One Health.