Haider Rizvi
CURITIBA, Brazil, Mar 23 2006 (IPS) – The threat of avian flu is looming over a wide range of species, including rare and endangered ones, warned experts attending a two-week international conference on biodiversity here.
There is growing evidence that the virus known as H5N1 can infect and harm rare mammals like leopards, tigers, civets, weasels, badgers and otters, they say.
We are learning very hard lessons from the threatened pandemic, Ahmed Djoghlaf, executive secretary of the conference, told reporters this week. The impact on biodiversity and on species may be far wider and more complex than might have been initially supposed.
More than 80 percent of known bird species, both migratory and non-migratory, are currently threatened by the avian flu virus, experts say. Among them, the danger is particularly imminent for the crow family and vultures.
And they are especially concerned over threatened species in biodiversity hot spots like Vietnam, which are also major poultry producers.
Countries with extraordinary bird diversity, like Brazil, need to take immediate action against illegal trade in bird species, but overreaction to the threat, such as culling wild birds and draining nesting areas, could do more harm than good.
Related IPS Articles
The impact of the virulent virus may extend far beyond direct infection of species, say experts who fear that culling poultry, especially in developing countries, where chicken is a major source of protein, could force local people to eat bush meat as an alternative.
This may put new and unacceptable pressure on a wide range of wild creatures, from pigs to endangered species like chimpanzees, gorillas and other great apes, according to experts.
Meanwhile, the loss of predators from some habitats, victims of the infection, could cause a population explosion of pests such as mice and rats.
There are worries that this may trigger a rise in other human and animal infections as well as damage the prospects for other wildlife, Nick Nuttall, a spokesperson with the U.N. Environment Programme who closely studied the experts proposals, told IPS..
This may be of particular concern on islands where introduced alien species like rats can be a major threat to breeding birds, with the pests feeding on the eggs and young.
It is a threat of our own making, said Djoghlaf. For example, reduced genetic diversity in domestic animals like poultry in favour of a monoculture in the last 50 years has resulted in a reduction of resistance to many diseases.
He urged all relevant bodies and signatories to conventions and international treaties to work together to address the issue of avian flu .
There are more than 40 experts who are participating in various side events of the biodiversity conference. Some of them have come from the Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Wildlife Disease Group at the University of East Anglia in Britain, which estimates that 13 orders of birds may be at risk from avian flu.
These include storks, herons, parakeets, emus, owls, eagles, kites and vultures, as well as the largest avian order, the passerformes. This order consists of 6,000 of the roughly 10,000 avian species.
Meanwhile, more than 50 species that are globally threatened by extinction are also facing the risk of exposure to avian flu. They include 80 percent of sea and fish eagle species.
The list of mammals at risk includes domestic rabbits, primates, viverrids, which includes civets and gents, mustelids like polecats, stoats, weasels and wolverines, and felids, which include big cats.
Experts have made a number of proposals and recommendations to the conference, including surveillance and monitoring of wild birds and mammals in affected countries, with a special focus on Asia where avian flu has become endemic.
They have also proposed increased training for veterinary and wildlife staff in developing countries and tough legislation against the illegal trade in wild birds and mammals, as well as compensation for those who have lost their livelihood because of culled poultry.
These recommendations will be formally presented at the ministerial-level talks beginning next week, according to U.N. officials who are expecting the proposals to be part of the conference s official agenda.
A healthy environment can act as a buffer zone against old and the emergence of new diseases, whereas the degraded one favours the spread of infections. said Djoghlaf.
If we are to realise international targets on fighting poverty by 2015 and on conserving biodiversity by 2010, we must urgently address these key links, he said, referring to the U.N. Millennium Development Goals set forth in 2000.
Since 2003, avian flu has killed about 100 people who consumed infected meat, or came into close contact with sick birds. The disease has been identified in 45 countries so far, and continues to spread. Public health experts fear that if the virus mutates into a form transmissible between people, it could spark a deadly pandemic.