A One Health Approach to Combatting COVID-19 and Illegal Wildlife Trade in Africa

The document advocates for a 'One Health' strategy in Africa to address the interconnected crises of human health, biodiversity loss, and climate change. It argues that blanket bans on wildlife trade are unworkable and may increase the risk of zoonotic spill-over by driving trade underground. Instead, it recommends nature-positive investments, green stimulus packages, and financial incentives for source countries to reduce IWT and improve governance. The brief emphasizes that socio-economic factors, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, drive IWT, and suggests that supporting rural communities through alternative livelihoods is the most effective way to reduce pathogen spill-over risk.

• Blanket bans on wildlife trade and wet markets are considered unworkable because millions of people rely on them for food and employment; such bans risk pushing trade underground, which would increase the risk of zoonotic spill-over and undermine biodiversity conservation.
• The illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is estimated to be worth up to $20 billion annually and is linked to organized crime, including the illegal arms and drugs trade and the funding of militias in source countries.
• The COVID-19 pandemic increased poverty and food insecurity, which may drive rural populations toward IWT for survival, although lockdowns temporarily reduced some poaching, such as a 33% decline in local rhino poaching in South Africa during 2020.
• A study of food systems across 83 countries suggests that a sudden ban on wild meat could require over 120,000km² of new agricultural land for replacement livestock, potentially increasing pandemic risk by pushing agriculture further into intact biodiversity habitats.
• The 'One Health' approach, which integrates human and environmental health interventions, is estimated to cost only one-hundredth of the economic damage caused by pandemics.
• To effectively reduce IWT and zoonotic risk, the document recommends providing source countries with financial incentives, utilizing green stimulus packages, and investing in alternative livelihoods for rural and indigenous communities.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2021). A One Health Approach to Combatting COVID-19 and Illegal Wildlife Trade in Africa. https://saiia.org.za/research/a-one-health-approach-to-combatting-covid-19-and-illegal-wildlife-trade-in-africa/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. A One Health Approach to Combatting COVID-19 and Illegal Wildlife Trade in Africa. 2021. https://saiia.org.za/research/a-one-health-approach-to-combatting-covid-19-and-illegal-wildlife-trade-in-africa/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=A One Health Approach to Combatting COVID-19 and Illegal Wildlife Trade in Africa |date=28 June 2021 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/a-one-health-approach-to-combatting-covid-19-and-illegal-wildlife-trade-in-africa/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2021one, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{A One Health Approach to Combatting COVID-19 and Illegal Wildlife Trade in Africa}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2021}, month = jun, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/a-one-health-approach-to-combatting-covid-19-and-illegal-wildlife-trade-in-africa/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }