Avian Flu – A Threat to Biodiversity

Highly pathogenic avian influenza, known as bird flu, is causing significant mortality of wild birds and mammals worldwide, requiring authorities to take action to curb its spread. Previously affecting mostly domestic poultry, the virus has become a major risk for wildlife, including in UNESCO World Heritage sites, Biosphere Reserves and Ramsar sites recognized internationally for their importance to nature conservation and which are critically important for migratory species.

Webinar series

How to protect wildlife from avian flu in UNESCO World Heritage sites, Biosphere Reserves and Ramsar sites

In April and May 2024, UNESCO and its partners organised a webinar series aimed to raise awareness of the site management authorities in UNESCO World Heritage sites, Biosphere Reserves and Ramsar sites on the avian influenza outbreak. The webinars were attended by nearly 700 people.

These webinars were organized with the financial support of the Swiss Federal Office for Environment (FOEN) in collaboration with UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme, the Secretariat of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and its CMS FAO Co-convened Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds, the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

During these three webinars, scientists, and representatives of internationally designated protected areas provide updated information regarding the outbreak of the avian flu, how it has affected individual sites, especially birds and mammals that find refuge in these sites, and how site management authorities together with the scientists combat the spread of the virus.

Please contact the Natural Heritage Unit of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, if you have any questions concerning the webinars. E-mail: wh-nature@unesco.org

Recordings and presentations

First Webinar for internationally designated sites in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean hosted by UNESCO

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• Presentation 1: Avian Influenza: Why has it become a conservation issue?
  Dr. Marcela Uhart - Director for the Latin America Program Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis
• Presentation 2: Avian Influenza: Key government obligations and recommendations in response to the current crisis
  Dr. Ruth Cromie, Co-ordinator of the CMS FAO Co-Convened Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds
• Presentation 3: Avian Influenza: Guidance for site managers
  Dr. Marcela Uhart - Director for the Latin America Program Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis
• Presentation 4: Lessons learned from the field-Galápagos Islands (Ecuador)
  Mr. Danny Rueda - Focal Point of the Galápagos Biosphere Reserve
• Presentation 5: Lessons learned from the field-Wadden Sea (Denmark, Germany, Netherlands)
  Dr. Kristine Meise - Programme Officer, Flyway and Biodiversity at Common Wadden Sea Secretariat
• Presentation 6: Lessons learned from the field-Península Valdés (Argentina)
  Mr. Sergio Javier Navarro - Wildlife Guard of Peninsula Valdes

Second webinar for internationally designated sites in Europe and Africa hosted by Ramsar Secretariat

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• Presentation 1: Avian Influenza: Why has it become a conservation issue?
  Dr. Marcela Uhart - Director for the Latin America Program Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis
• Presentation 2: Avian Influenza: Key government obligations and recommendations in response to the current crisis
  Dr. Ruth Cromie - Co-ordinator of the CMS FAO Co-Convened Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds
• Presentation 3: Avian Influenza: Guidance for site managers
  Dr. Marcela Uhart - Director for the Latin America Program Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis
• Presentation 4: Lessons learned from the field-Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary (Senegal)
  Mr. Cheikh Diagne - Site Manager of the Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary World Heritage Site
• Presentation 5: Lessons learned from the field-Wadden Sea (Denmark, Germany, Netherlands)
  Dr. Kristine Meise - Programme Officer, Flyway and Biodiversity at Common Wadden Sea Secretariat
• Presentation 6: Lessons learned from the field (Mauritania)
  Mr. Barry Yahya - Coordinator of Animal Health & Food Hygiene, National Agency for Research, Livestock and Pastoral Development
• Presentation 7: Lessons learned from the field - (South Africa)
  Dr. Laura Roberts - Western Cape Department of Agriculture, South Africa

Third Webinar for internationally designated sites in Asia and the Pacific hosted by UNESCO

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• Presentation 1: Avian Influenza: Why has it become a conservation issue?
  Dr. Michelle Wille - Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Pathogen Genomics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Australia
• Presentation 2: Avian Influenza: Key government obligations and recommendations in response to the current crisis
  Dr. Ruth Cromie - Co-ordinator of the CMS FAO Co-Convened Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds
• Presentation 3: Avian Influenza: Guidance for site managers
  Dr.Tiggy Grillo - Co-Chair, IUCN SSC Wildlife Health Specialist Group
• Presentation 4: Avian Influenza Surveillance Framework at Izumi Wintering Habitat of Cranes in Kagoshima Prefecture
  Dr. Kosuke Okuya - Assistant Professor, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Japan
• Presentation 5: Protecting New Zealand Wildlife: vaccination for Avian Influenza as a tool in the toolbox
  Dr. Grant Matthews - Manager Animal Disease Team, Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer, Biosecurity, Ministry for Primary Industries, New Zealand
• Presentation 6: The right tools for the job: developing a HPAI risk mitigation toolbox for managers of Australian wildlife
  Dr. Simone Vitali - Program Manager, Emergencies, Wildlife Health Australia
• Presentation 7: Lessons learned from the field – Republic of Korea
  Ms. Sun-Mi Hwang - Suncheon-man Preservation Supervisor, Suncheon City, Republic of Korea

Guidelines

• World Organisation for Animal Health & IUCN SSC Wildlife Health Specialist Group - Avian Influenza and Wildlife: Risk management for people working with wild birds
• World Organisation for Animal Health -  Practical guide for authorised field responders to HPAI outbreaks in marine mammals, with a focus on biosecurity, sample collection for virus detection and carcass disposal 
• Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels - Guidelines for working with albatrosses and petrels during the high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 panzootic
• Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds statement on: H5N1 High pathogenicity avian influenza in wild birds - Unprecedented conservation impacts and urgent needs. July 2023
• Ramsar Wetland Disease Manual Guidelines for Assessment, Monitoring and Management of Animal Disease in Wetlands
• Dewar, M., Wille, M., Gamble, A., Vanstreels, R. E., Bouliner, T., Smith, A., ... & Hart, T. (2023). The risk of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the Southern Ocean: a practical guide for operators and scientists interacting with wildlife. Antarctic Science, 35(6), 407-414.
• World Organisation for Animal Health - Considerations for emergency vaccination of wild birds against high pathogenicity avian influenza in specific situations
• WHO guidelines on influenza in animals (Aug 2023) Public health resource pack for countries experiencing outbreaks of influenza in animals
• National Wildlife Biosecurity Guidelines (Australian)

• Ramsar Handbook 4: Avian influenza and wetlands -  Guidance on control of and responses to highly pathogenic avian influenza

Further information

• Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) co-convened Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds
• World Organisation for Animal Health – Animation on about how avian influenza threatens wild birds and other key resources
• OFFLU statement on Continued expansion of HPAI H5 in wildlife in South America and incursion into the Antarctic region (Dec 2023)
• Dewar et al 2023. Biological Risk Assessment of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in the Southern Ocean.
• Sub-Antarctic and Antarctic Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 Monitoring Project
• FAO wild bird HPAI surveillance sample collection manual
• Michelle Wille's website - Avian influenza resources
• Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) CoP14 resolutions
• Res14.18 Avian influenza
• Res 12.6 Wildlife Health and Migratory Species

Examples

• Management guidelines Mitigation and data collection strategies for avian influenza in bird colonies in the Wadden Sea
• Scottish wild bird highly pathogenic avian influenza response plan
• Mitigation strategy for avian influenza in wild birds in England and Wales
• Pearce-Higgings et al (2023) Highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild birds in the United Kingdom in 2022: impacts, planning for future outbreaks, and conservation and research priorities. Report on virtual workshops held in November 2022.
• Australian HPAI Communications Guide for Managers of Wild Animal Populations
• Australian HPAI risk mitigation toolboxes