India has a new national health policy in the works—for its wild animals

The national wildlife health policy will not just focus on strengthening India’s biodiversity conservation efforts. It will also address another critical issue that gained prominence during the covid-19 years: the risk to human health from zoonotic diseases, or infections transmitted from animals to humans.

Two officials, declining to be identified, said work on this new policy comes as India’s wildlife faces increasing health threats amid climate change, habitat loss, and pollution.

The policy will supplement India’s National Wildlife Action Plan (2017-31) and its One Health policy, which is a collaborative approach to optimise the health of people, animals, and the environment, recognizing these components as closely linked and interdependent.

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“We want to have an elaborate policy on wildlife health, to have a separate document containing a framework," said one of the officials. “We are also working on the One Health policy, and we are linking the wildlife health policy to One Health."

A core team of experts from the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC), the office of the principal scientific adviser to the primer minister, a team from the Indian Institue of Technology, Bombay, and a group of domain experts are framing the policy framework, this official said.

“The proposed NWHP 2024 will primarily aim to establish a comprehensive framework for safeguarding wildlife populations and public health by addressing wildlife health concerns," said the second of the two officials. “It will recognise captive and free-ranging wild animal health, balanced ecosystems, and biodiversity (that) contribute to achieving One Health."

The policy will outline actions that must be developed into a structured work programme describing management, required resources and partnerships, this official said.

Impact on humans 

The effect of climate change on temperature, rainfall patterns, and other environmental factors is affecting wild habitats, migration patterns, and populations of many species. Consequently, India’s wildlife faces numerous threats, from habitat loss and fragmentation to species decline and extinction. 

This habitat destruction, in turn, brings humans and wildlife into closer contact, increasing the risk of exposure to zoonotic diseases. Such diseases transmitted initially from animals to humans present a substantial threat. Currently, an estimated 60% of infectious diseases and up to 75% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic. 

The National Wildlife Action Plan (2017-31) has identified 103 conservation actions and 250 projects to address such issues—including the development and implementation of a standard operational protocol for integrating disease surveillance in tiger reserves, protected areas, and general forests; and the establishment of a legally binding protocol on mercy killing and euthanasia of wild animals.

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According to an official statement, the action plan, released in October 2017, aims to strengthen the integrated management of wildlife and their habitats, wildlife research, and sustainable management of aquatic biodiversity in India and promote eco-tourism.

Bacterial, viral, parasitic, or fungal pathogens can be transmitted through direct contact with animals or indirectly via food, water, or the environment. Rabies, Ebola, Zika, and Covid-19 are examples of zoonotic diseases, which originate not only from wild animals like bats or monkeys but also from pets, farm animals, mosquitoes and ticks. In July, Kerala saw the outbreak of the Nipah virus.

“Healthy wildlife is a vital indicator of a thriving ecosystem, essential for our food and water security, and fundamental to our economic prosperity," said Debadityo Sinha, lead of climate and ecosystems initiative at Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy. “An intact and well-preserved ecosystem not only enhances resilience to extreme weather events but also serves as a buffer against zoonotic diseases."

A comprehensive policy

“The objectives of NWHP are developing a robust national wildlife health management system, prevention, detection, and responding to wildlife disease outbreaks, minimising the risk of zoonotic disease transmission between wildlife and humans, promoting research and surveillance on wildlife health issues, ensuring the welfare of captive wildlife in zoos and rehabilitation centres, and fostering collaboration between government agencies, research institutions, and stakeholders," said the second official quoted earlier.

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The policy will also cover areas such as managing wildlife pathogen risk, disease outbreak preparedness and response, and biosecurity, added the first official. 

“In December, we will work on the draft, followed by a workshop in Delhi. The policy is expected to be reviewed every five years to assess its effectiveness and adapt it to emerging challenges," this official said. 

Spokespeople and secretaries of the MoEFCC and the health ministry did not reply to queries emailed on Tuesday.