Averting wildlife-borne infectious disease epidemics requires a focus on socio-ecological drivers and a redesign of the global food system

Abstract

A debate has emerged over the potential socio-ecological drivers of wildlife-origin zoonotic disease outbreaks and emerging infectious disease (EID) events. This Review explores the extent to which the incidence of wildlife-origin infectious disease outbreaks, which are likely to include devastating pandemics like HIV/AIDS and COVID-19, may be linked to excessive and increasing rates of tropical deforestation for agricultural food production and wild meat hunting and trade, which are further related to contemporary ecological crises such as global warming and mass species extinction. Here we explore a set of precautionary responses to wildlife-origin zoonosis threat, including: (a) limiting human encroachment into tropical wildlands by promoting a global transition to diets low in livestock source foods; (b) containing tropical wild meat hunting and trade by curbing urban wild meat demand, while securing access for indigenous people and local communities in remote subsistence areas; and (c) improving biosecurity and other strategies to break zoonosis transmission pathways at the wildlife-human interface and along animal source food supply chains.

Keywords: Agriculture; Deforestation; Emerging infectious disease; Global food system; Livestock; One health; Wild meat; Zoonosis.

Figure 1

Zoonosis transmission pathways.

Figure 2

Tropical deforestation and overhunting as drivers of wildlife-origin zoonotic disease transmission.

Figure 3

Benefits of a global shift to plant-based (flexitarian) diets.

Figure 4

Global food system model complementing conversion to organic farming with a reduction in livestock source food consumption and cutbacks in food loss and wastage.

Figure 5

Approaches to sustainable livestock source food consumption in different geographical regions.

Figure 6

Strategies to promote a dietary transition away from heavy reliance on livestock source foods.

Figure 7

Strategies to curb tropical urban wild meat demand and secure indigenous people and local communities' (IPLCs) access to wild meat.

Figure 8

Biosecurity measures for hunting and handling wild meat in rural communities and in ‘wet markets’ selling domestic and wild animal products.