A new policy guide launched at COP17 in Armenia aims to help governments integrate animal welfare into biodiversity conservation and public health policies.
Animals for Biodiversity and Health recommends stricter regulation of wildlife trade, improved habitat protection and phasing out high-risk livestock confinement systems.
The guidance comes amid growing concerns over biodiversity loss, zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Examples from Colombia, Belgium, Brazil and other countries show how animal welfare and habitat protection measures are being incorporated into public policies.
A new policy tool aimed at helping governments improve animal welfare while implementing the Global Action Plan (GAP) on Biodiversity and Health was launched at the ongoing United Nations biodiversity summit on October 21 2026.
The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is taking place from October 19 to 30, 2026 in Yerevan, Armenia.
The guide, Animals for Biodiversity and Health, sets out practical policy measures, supported by examples from different countries, showing how better protection and care of animals and their habitats could help achieve the plan's objectives.
The launch comes as the newly published State of Biodiversity Action report warns that the world is off track to meet its target of protecting 30 per cent of land and sea by 2030.
According to a statement accompanying the launch, biodiversity loss, climate change, the emergence of diseases transmitted between animals and humans, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) share several underlying drivers. “How wild animals are captured, traded, farmed and conserved, and how farmed animals are reared shapes the risk of pathogen spillover, the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and pressure on ecosystems,” it said.
It pointed to the spread of H5N1 avian influenza across continents and projections suggesting that, by 2050, an estimated 1.91 million deaths could be directly attributable to AMR globally, while 8.22 million deaths could be associated with it.
The guide aims to translate recommendations under the Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health into measures governments can implement, particularly in wildlife protection, climate action and farm animal welfare.
For wildlife protection, it recommends prohibiting or strictly regulating high-risk and inhumane practices involving the capture, transport and trade of wild animals.
To support biodiversity conservation and climate resilience, it calls for protecting and expanding urban tree cover and establishing wildlife corridors to improve habitat connectivity.
For farm animal welfare, it recommends phasing out high-risk confinement systems and conserving locally adapted, genetically diverse livestock breeds.
The guide also highlights examples of countries and cities that have introduced similar measures.
In Medellín, Colombia, 30 green corridors have been developed along roads and streams over the past decade, helping reduce average urban temperatures by nearly 2 degrees Celsius (°C), according to the statement. The initiative has also been associated with the return of birds, lizards, frogs and bats to areas where they had previously disappeared.
Belgium introduced a 'positive list' for mammals in 2009, specifying which species could legally be kept as pets, with the aim of restricting the exotic pet trade and its associated risks.
In Brazil, wildlife screening and rehabilitation centres operated by the environmental agency IBAMA received more than 54,000 wild animals in 2023 for veterinary care and, where possible, release into the wild.
The guide also cites Bangladesh and Cameroon, whose One Health frameworks recognise animal welfare. One Health is an approach that considers the interconnected health of humans, animals and ecosystems.
Germany's national dietary guidelines are another example cited in the guide, incorporating health, environmental, social and animal welfare considerations into recommendations on sustainable nutrition.
Jewel Omollo, Environment Policy Officer at the World Federation for Animals, said animal health and welfare were closely connected to biodiversity and human health.
“Animal health and welfare is inherently connected to biodiversity and the health of people and our planet. As policymakers look to respond to the Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health, we see animal health and welfare as a key conduit for meeting its objectives,” Omollo said.
Omollo added that protecting habitats, promoting more sustainable wildlife management and developing food systems aligned with nature all depended in part on improving animal welfare. The guide was designed to help policymakers translate the action plan's recommendations into practical measures, she said.
Adeline Lerambert, International Policy Manager at the Born Free Foundation, said animal welfare should be recognised as an important part of biodiversity conservation and disease prevention.
“We cannot truly safeguard human health without taking animal health and welfare seriously, just as we cannot protect species without protecting the individual animals that make them up. Animal welfare is a powerful but often overlooked tool for conserving biodiversity and preventing disease,” she said.