Forestry Ministry: Preventing Illegal Wildlife Trade Protects Against Zoonotic Diseases

Director of Species and Genetic Conservation at the Ministry of Forestry, Ahmad Munawir, stated that preventing the illegal wildlife trade is a key step in protecting the public from the spread of zoonotic diseases. “The illegal wildlife trade is a crime on a national to international scale, and its value is estimated at approximately 20 billion US dollars per year, making it the largest transnational crime after drug trafficking,” he said in Bandarlampung on Thursday. He stated that the crime of illegal wildlife trade knows no borders, thus requiring partnerships between various parties both nationally and internationally. “Preventing this illegal trade is not just about protecting species from extinction or safeguarding the economic value of natural resources, but is an important effort to provide public protection from the spread of zoonotic diseases,” he said. He explained that most new infectious diseases in humans originate from wildlife. The spread of these diseases, known as zoonoses, necessitates prevention efforts, one of which is preventing the illegal wildlife trade. “The illegal trade and circulation of wildlife will increase the risk of pathogen transfer across regions and countries. Because animals moved without proper health procedures, specific quarantine measures, or good supervision will carry various risks of new disease infections,” he added. Therefore, every success in preventing wildlife smuggling or trade activities indirectly contributes significantly to preventing the potential emergence of zoonotic disease spread that could threaten public health and economic resilience. “This effort is an important part of global public protection, and currently, through the ‘one health’ approach which recognises the close link between human health, animal health, and environmental health, we are striving to prevent the spread of zoonotic diseases. And we must strive to prevent the circulation and trade of wildlife,” he said.