Illicit Wildlife Trade, Wet Markets, and COVID‐19: Preventing Future Pandemics

Abstract

Although the exact origin of SARS‐CoV‐2, the etiologic agent of COVID‐19, is currently unknown, there is substantial evidence to suggest the source of transmission of the virus occurred within the Wuhan wet market. In these markets, bats and wild animals are frequently sold and stored in close contact. During several of the world's past pandemics, bats were essential to the spread of zoonotic diseases from bat to another animal or to humans directly. Live animal markets create the perfect conditions for novel viruses such as COVID‐19 to emerge. This paper suggests that to prevent future pandemics, the sale of exotic animals be banned at wet markets. It also advocates for the integration of the analysis of illicit trade with the study of zoonotic disease transmission and pandemics.

Suggestions for a Covid-19 Post-Pandemic Research Agenda in Environmental Economics

“…Fortunately, these issues are covered to some degree by other contributions. These topics include, among others, potential changes in behavioural responses such as social norms (van Bergeijk 2020;Howarth et al 2020;Quaas et al 2020), issues related to health economics and disease transmission (Newbold et al 2020;Brock and Xepapadeas 2020;Albers et al 2020), food safety and availability (Kecinski et al 2020), impacts on the Market Stability Reserve (Gerlagh et al 2020), animal disease and wildlife meat trade (Aguirre et al 2020), the valuation of lives and the economic costs and environmental benefits of the lockdowns, stock price reactions (Ramelli and Wagner 2020) and linkages to mobility patterns (Sirkeci and Yucesahin 2020).…”

“…2020 ), animal disease and wildlife meat trade (Aguirre et al. 2020 ), the valuation of lives and the economic costs and environmental benefits of the lockdowns, stock price reactions (Ramelli and Wagner 2020 ) and linkages to mobility patterns (Sirkeci and Yucesahin 2020 ).…”

Pandemia, biodiversidade, mudanças globais e bem-estar humano

“…Os morcegos são sugeridos como os maiores reservatórios naturais de Betacoronavirus. Entretanto, isso ainda não foi definitivamente estabelecido (Aguirre et al, 2020). E ainda não são conhecidos casos de transmissão direta desses vírus dos morcegos para o homem (Loeffelholz;Fenwick, 2020).…”

“…Em segundo lugar, são mercados que seguem muito pouca ou nenhuma regulação sanitária, oferecendo animais exóticos de locais distantes. Não raro, são mercados ilegais, o que não é o caso do "wet market" no qual desconfia-se que tenha se iniciado a pandemia de Covid-19 (Aguirre et al, 2020).…”

Trading Tactics: Time to Rethink the Global Trade in Wildlife

“…The Covid-19 outbreak, thought to have originated from the trade in wildlife [ 1 , 2 , 3 ], has brought about fresh and intensified scrutiny of this global phenomenon [ 2 , 4 ]. In response, major policy decisions involving wildlife trade bans have ensued; China has decided to ban the consumption of wild animals for food to safeguard people’s lives and health [ 5 , 6 ], and Vietnam has launched a new taskforce committed to reforming policies to prohibit the commercial trade and consumption of wild birds and mammals [ 7 ].…”