Strengthening Policy and Technical Frameworks for Primary Pandemic Prevention at Wildlife Trade Interfaces in Latin America – Virtual webinar – International Alliance against Health Risks in Wildlife Trade – 24 September, 2025

Dear Alliance members and colleagues,

We warmly invite you to the Alliance’s next event with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) presenting the results of the three CONTACT missions in Peru, Bolivia, and Guatemala on September 24, 2025. 

The most cost-effective and sustainable way to affect long-term risk reduction for spillover and spread of zoonotic pathogens via poaching and wildlife trade is through policy change, strengthening of legislation, and identifying innovative ways to ensure the successful application and enforcement of the law. In many countries, adequate data and analysis are lacking to inform detailed characterization of wildlife trade chains, drivers, risky behaviors, and critical control points. This limits evidence-driven policy frameworks and legislative approaches for targeted, locally relevant risk reduction. 

Three high-biodiversity countries with large volumes of wildlife trade and government commitment interest in reducing health threats from such trade were selected for this initial CONTACT consultation approach: Bolivia, Peru and Guatemala. The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) worked closely with multisectoral government agency partners to expand understanding of wildlife trade dynamics, critical control points, and gaps for risk reduction of pathogen emergence along wildlife trade chains, and inform policy revisions and recommendations that strengthen primary pandemic prevention in the three countries.

For more information, visit the Alliance’s webpage HERE.