Illegal trade in wildlife is the next-ranked problem of the type of illegal activity worldwide after drugs and human trafficking. This type of trade is a dangerous mechanism for the spread of pathogens, according to WWF.

“The current situation of the pandemic, to which the World Wildlife Fund is fully involved, can show us that when we manage to deal with this global problem, we have to ask ourselves questions about its origin and why the exploitation of natural resources is one of the factors that lead to potential risks”, commented from the organization.

WWF recalled that the loss of nature and the risks to human health are directly linked. This is a claim backed by the World Health Organization, which has shown that 60% of human pathogens are of such origin that has a direct link to the transmission of animal diseases to humans.

The World Bank estimates the economic burden of six of the most active diseases of this origin at 70 billion USD over the last 12 years.

“The world is occupying vast territories that it has not inhabited, and these are mainly tropical territories where we are at risk of new pathogens”, warned the experts from WWF.