BANGKOK, Thailand – Biodiversity and health experts from the ASEAN Member States (AMS) convened earlier in February to talk about the roles of environment, wildlife, and biodiversity in disease prevention, detection, and resurgence.
The technical forum Reflecting on the Relevant Role of Biodiversity, Wildlife Conservation, and Environment in Building Resilience through One Health Approach convened key technical staff from the AMS and relevant ASEAN sectoral bodies to exchange views and align efforts that contribute to One Health implementation in the region.
One Health refers to a unified approach to balance the health of people, animals, and ecosystems. The term was first used in 2004 after the emergence of the severe acute respiratory disease (SARS) and avian influenza H5N1. It emphasises the relationship between human health and environmental health, covering a range of issues such as zoonotic diseases, vector-borne diseases, and food safety among others. The occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic further underlined the importance and immediate implementation of One Health.
Biodiversity, environment in One Health discussions
The ASEAN Declaration on One Health Initiative, adopted during the 42nd ASEAN Summit in 2023, recognises the vulnerability of the AMS to epidemics and pandemics that may be borne from the relationship between humans and the environment and that are further exacerbated by climate change.
Dr. Vong Sok, head of Environment Division of the ASEAN Secretariat, shared that “the Leaders’ Declaration consolidated existing initiatives and mechanisms of One Health collaboration in the region, as well as between countries and among various sectors, ministries/government agencies, academia, the private sector, and other institutions. The establishment of the ASEAN One Health Network and the development of an ASEAN One Health Joint Plan of Action reinforce multisectoral collaboration and coordination of the One Health Initiative, which includes the contribution and collaboration from the environment.”
He reiterated the necessity of a holistic approach in studying the impact of the pandemic from its possible origins, including biodiversity, to the end receptor: public health. Handling, transport, and trafficking in wildlife trade create issues and challenges that require concerted efforts from key stakeholders.
For her part, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) executive director, Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim, asserts in her message the importance of cross-sectoral and cross-pillar engagements to support the Leader’s Declaration including the ASEAN One Health Joint Plan of Action. “These two significant milestones are already in place and provide clear, high-level guidance on how the region must move forward in building pandemic resilience. We just need to facilitate translating these policies into action on the ground, with an inclusive, well-coordinated, whole-of-society level of participation. This technical forum is one of the first steps at the regional level towards this end,” she said.
Dr. Lim elaborated that harmonising policies on public health, livestock and poultry production, and biodiversity, including wildlife protection and trade, to consider their interconnection and relevance to disease control and prevention will be essential to reducing the risks associated with future pandemics.”
The AMS shared interventions on One Health implementation in their countries. Participants also deliberated pathways through which biodiversity, wildlife, and the environment can feed into the One Health implementation in the region. Recommendations derived from these discussions will serve as bases for the ACB and other ASEAN centres to explore potential collaborations in line with the ASEAN One Health Joint Plan of Action.
Participants in breakout sessions discussed pathways on governance, legislation, financing, advocacy, implementation, workforce development, data, and knowledge management.
A Needs Assessment Validation Workshop was also conducted immediately after the forum, which aimed at providing an overview of the capacities of the AMS’ environment sectors in the areas of biodiversity and ecosystems, wildlife, and One Health.
The back-to-back activities were organised by the ACB with the support of GIZ through the Institutional Strengthening of the Biodiversity Sector in ASEAN (ISB II), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), and the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Facts Only
* Biodiversity and health experts from the ASEAN Member States convened in February.
* A technical forum was held to discuss the roles of environment, wildlife, and biodiversity in disease prevention, detection, and resurgence.
* The forum focused on building resilience through a One Health approach.
* One Health is a unified approach balancing the health of people, animals, and ecosystems.
* The term originated in 2004 following SARS and avian influenza H5N1 outbreaks.
* The ASEAN Declaration on One Health Initiative was adopted at the 42nd ASEAN Summit in 2023.
* Dr. Vong Sok, head of the Environment Division of the ASEAN Secretariat, noted the necessity of a holistic approach studying pandemic impacts from biodiversity to public health.
* Handling, transport, and trafficking in wildlife trade create challenges requiring concerted effort from stakeholders.
* The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity executive director stated the importance of cross-sectoral engagement to support regional plans.
* Participants deliberated pathways for incorporating biodiversity and wildlife into One Health implementation.
* A Needs Assessment Validation Workshop was conducted to review environmental sector capacities in biodiversity, ecosystems, and One Health.
Executive Summary
Biodiversity and health experts from the ASEAN Member States convened in February to discuss the roles of the environment, wildlife, and biodiversity in preventing, detecting, and managing disease resurgence through a One Health approach. The technical forum focused on building resilience by aligning regional efforts regarding One Health implementation. One Health is defined as a unified approach balancing human, animal, and ecosystem health, emphasizing the interconnection between human health and environmental health across issues like zoonotic diseases and food safety. This discussion was contextualized by recent global events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which underscored the necessity of implementing One Health principles immediately.
The ASEAN Declaration on One Health Initiative, adopted in 2023, recognizes the vulnerability of ASEAN Member States to epidemics and pandemics linked to human-environment relationships exacerbated by climate change. Leaders' declarations and plans, such as the ASEAN One Health Network and Joint Plan of Action, aim to reinforce multisectoral collaboration involving environment, public health, agriculture, and other sectors. Experts stressed that managing wildlife trade requires coordinated effort across stakeholders, and harmonizing policies on public health, livestock production, and biodiversity is essential for future pandemic prevention. The discussions also involved assessing sectoral capacities through a Needs Assessment Validation Workshop focusing on environmental sectors' knowledge in biodiversity and ecosystems.
Full Take
The narrative presents a clear trajectory: acknowledging the systemic risks associated with human-wildlife-environment interactions—framed under the umbrella of One Health—and establishing concrete collaborative mechanisms for mitigation. The shift from reacting to specific outbreaks (SARS, H5N1, COVID-19) to embedding a preventative framework is significant. The core tension lies between the necessity of broad multisectoral collaboration and the practical challenges of translating high-level policy into on-the-ground action, particularly concerning governance, financing, and workforce development in biodiversity and wildlife management.
The pattern observed is the movement toward institutionalization: moving from conceptual recognition (the Declaration) to operational planning (Joint Plan of Action) to capacity building (workshops). This structure suggests a response to historical failures where siloed approaches proved insufficient during acute crises. The implication for agency is that true resilience requires transcending traditional sectoral boundaries, recognizing that environmental health is not merely an input to health policy but a core mechanism of disease control itself. The reliance on facilitating the translation of existing high-level guidance into tangible action highlights the persistent gap between commitment and execution in complex regional governance structures.
What mechanisms are most likely to become points of friction when implementing this vision across diverse AMS? How do historical patterns of resource allocation, where immediate crisis management often supersedes long-term ecological planning, influence the prioritization within these newly established collaborative structures? Furthermore, what specific accountability frameworks must be established to ensure that cross-sectoral mandates lead to tangible improvements in biodiversity conservation and wildlife trade regulation, rather than remaining consultative exercises?