WORLD ANIMAL PROTECTION CALLING ON COP15 NEGOTIATORS TO ENSURE TARGET 5 ADDRESSES BIODIVERSITY, AND PANDEMIC DISEASE RISK FROM WILDLIFE TRADE
World Animal Protection is at COP15 in Montreal encouraging a more holistic approach by including animal welfare considerations to achieve a safer world for animals, humans and the environment.
MONTREAL, Dec. 14, 2022 /CNW/ - Wednesday, December 14, 2022 - World Animal Protection is calling on COP15 negotiators to pass a stronger Target 5 to create a safer world for animals, people and the environment.
Many of the systems identified as the top drivers of biodiversity loss and pandemic risk, including industrial livestock production and the commercial wildlife trade rely on poor animal welfare. Protecting animal welfare can help transform these systems and address root causes of these two crises.
It's why World Animal Protection is calling on negotiators to strengthen the proposed language in Target 5, to ensure that any trade in wild animals will be truly sustainable, legal and safe for human health, animal health and the environment.
"The wellbeing of animals, people and the planet is fundamentally interconnected. Animal exploitation is increasing, we are losing species at an unprecedented rate and clearly the old conservation approach isn't working," said World Animal Protection Campaign Director Melissa Matlow. "We must change our relationship with animals to halt and reverse biodiversity loss."
For a healthy planet, we need to make sure animals are healthy and safeguarding their welfare is critical to this.
"It would be a missed opportunity to neglect acknowledging the interconnectedness between biodiversity loss, pandemic risk and the wellbeing of animals," added Matlow. Leaders are starting to recognize these interconnections. Earlier this year, the United Nations Environment Assembly passed a resolution calling for an expert report on the links between animal welfare, the environment and sustainable development.
World Animal Protection believes this is a 'once-in-a-decade' opportunity to save animals and nature, but like with the climate discussion, we are running out of time to turn the tide.
Ultimately, we would like to see an end to the commercial wildlife trade but passing a stronger and more measurable Target 5 to reduce the risks to the wellbeing of animals, people and our environment would be an important first step.
World Animal Protection Campaign Director Melissa Matlow is available to speak about why Target 5 is critical to preventing biodiversity loss and future pandemics.
World Animal Protection has been a global advocate for strengthening animal welfare laws around the world and encouraging governments to recognize that improving animal welfare can strengthen our collective ability to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, climate change and prevent disease and future pandemics while helping achieve our sustainable development goals.
SOURCE World Animal Protection
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