Preventing zoonotic spillover at the source
Covid-19, Ebola, monkey pox (mpox), bird flu (avian influenza), among others have shown us the grave consequences of what happens when viruses spill over from wildlife to humans. In the context of pandemic prevention, wildlife trade and the handling and consumption of wildlife and their products provide a largely unregulated direct interface for zoonotic spillover.
The International Alliance against Health Risks in Wildlife Trade addresses this overlooked risk by facilitating the necessary interdisciplinary coordination and actions at local and international levels. Taking a One Health approach, the Alliance offers knowledge exchange for members and advisory services for governments to protect the health of humans, wildlife populations and ecosystems.
The Alliance
The Alliance is an interdisciplinary network with more than 180 members combining local and scientific knowledges with global reach. We are united by the aim of primary prevention through reducing the risks of zoonotic spillover with a One Health approach.
We cooperate and co-create in interdisciplinary Working Groups and fund piloted projects of our members, integrating approaches such as Social and Behavioural Change, pathogen identification or direct policy recommendations. In international fora we use the strength of our united voice to bring health risks from wildlife trade on the agenda of professional communities and policy makers. Governments benefit from our wide range of expertise and perspectives. Members are given a platform and can expand their radius.
What we do
With its numerous members, the Alliance addresses the entire wildlife trade spectrum: legal/illegal, domestic/international, wild-caught/captive-bred, live, and dead – the hunting, handling, trading and consumption – context-specific and culture-sensitive.
Our impact focuses on primary prevention of zoonotic spillover: We put health risks in wildlife trade on the agenda of international processes, governments, and local communities through piloting projects, advisory services, high-level events, knowledge transfer, awareness campaigns, policy recommendations and more. We translate local knowledge and scientific evidence into concrete action. And we connect our members to enable new collaboration and partnership.
