What COVID has taught us about the wildlife trade
Wildlife trade is the third largest illegal market in the world behind drugs and munitions – so the fact that COVID-19 may have emerged from this trade tells us more regulation is vital
Published 6 January 2021
More epidemics like COVID-19 are inevitable unless we reassess our relationship with the natural world.
That’s according to Gerry Ryan, a PhD student in the School of Biosciences, a conservation scientist working on Southeast Asian and Australian biodiversity and a board member for the Society for Conservation Biology Asia.
He employs statistical, mathematical modelling to look at how we can improve making decisions for wildlife conservation, particularly as competition for space between people and wildlife increases – both here in Australia and across South East Asia.
But while the illegal wildlife trade flourishes, we will continue to see problems like we’ve seen during this pandemic; and governments must use this as an opportunity to improve their regulations and enforcement in order to protect the health of wildlife and humans in the future.
Episode recorded: November 16, 2020.
Interviewer: Dr Andi Horvath.
Producer, audio engineer and editor: Chris Hatzis.
Co-producers: Silvi Vann-Wall and Dr Andi Horvath.
Banner: Getty Images
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