COVID-19 Report - 14

HOW HUMANITY'S BROKEN RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE IS DRIVING ZOONOTIC DISEASE EMERGENCE

2. THE DIAGNOSIS

The risk of zoonotic diseases is accelerating, driven by two key factors: the
trade of high-risk live wild animals and their meat, and unsustainable food
systems driving the large-scale conversion of land for agriculture.
Firstly, the sale and consumption of high-risk wild species,
both in and outside of wildlife markets, increases human
contact with wild species, risking greater exposure to zoonotic
diseases. Secondly, unsustainable food systems currently rely
on the large-scale conversion of land for agriculture, which
fragments natural ecosystems and increases interactions
between humans, livestock and wildlife. These drivers are
linked to the emergence of the most recent zoonotic diseases,
including COVID-19, SARS and Ebola.

Risk 1: The illegal and high-risk trade and
consumption of wildlife
Many recent pandemics, including COVID-19, have
been linked to the high-risk trade and consumption
of wildlife in markets and restaurants.16,17 Increasingly

global sales of wild animals, their meat and other products in
markets which restaurants increase human contact with wild
species and, in turn, increases exposure to zoonotic diseases.
Questions remain about the exact origins of COVID-19, but
all available evidence suggests that it is a zoonotic disease,
meaning it jumped from wildlife to humans.18 Even if this is
not the case, wildlife markets (often stalls within larger, legal
wet markets) create possibilities for spillover, especially when
live wild animals are held in confined spaces or otherwise
stressful conditions, in close proximity to meat, live domestic
animals and humans. By keeping different species in cramped
conditions together, the risk of genetic recombination
between different viruses and transmission to new species,
including humans, is escalated.19,20 The improper handling of
live domestic animals and their meat can also drive potential
disease exposure, particularly when these animals are
slaughtered on the premises or kept alongside other wildlife.

Edward Parker / WWF

WWF INTERNATIONAL 2020
COVID-19 Report

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of COVID-19 Report
