The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE) Regional Representation for Asia and the Pacific (RRAP) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Japan jointly organised a workshop to share knowledge and promote discussion with wildlife health stakeholders in the region on the importance of biodiversity as a One Health shield to protect us all.
The health of ecosystems is vital for the survival of humans, animals, and plants. Activities like pollination by bats and bees, seed-dispersal by fruit-eaters, oxygen production, water supply and carbon capture by coral reefs and forests closely intertwine us with the environment. Healthy ecosystems have a full complement of the species that have evolved and co-exist to represent a specific ecosystem. Drivers of ecosystem degradation include many human activities and factors such as wildlife trade, deforestation, climate change, and certain farming and livestock management practices. Land use and development activities increase the proximity and increased interactions between humans, livestock and wildlife, which can facilitate disease spillover.
This workshop—organised by WOAH RRAP jointly with WWF Japan—on 28th June 2022 gave an overview of biodiversity in Asia and the Pacific, before discussing the positive effects of biodiversity on ecosystems health. The workshop was heavily interactive with participants, who shared their One Health solutions for challenges facing ecosystem health and formulated recommendations on working together in the future.
Webinar details
Date: Tuesday 28th June 2022
Time: 11.30am – 3pm JST
