類人猿、生物多樣性的喪失和新冠疫情——知識賽跑回頭看
(English version below)
新冠病毒從2020年初開始席捲全球，當人們越來越擔心和不安時，專家們也開始憂慮我們人類近親的安全。2020年3月，國際自然及自然資源保護聯盟和靈長類動物專家組發表聯合聲明，明確指出：沒有實例證明類人猿對新冠病毒易感。但是，它們對一般的人類呼吸道病原體高度敏感，因此，新冠病毒對它們可能是致命的。從那時起，保護類人猿，尤其是野生類人猿的知識賽跑就拉開了序幕。
教科文組織發起了一系列關於生物多樣性和人類與自然關係的線上討論。民間社會、科學專家和決策者齊聚線上，從不同的角度探討了衛生危機、其起源和後果。其中一場網絡研討會集中探討了引發疫情的生物多樣性危機，及其對類人猿構成的額外威脅。應邀發言的專家強調了3個主要因素，以了解危機的根源和克服危機的方法。
了解生物多樣性的健康狀況
這場疫情使人們認識到，我們與自然的關係是不健康的。偷獵和砍伐森林使原本並不會有交集的物種相遇，導致人類接觸到動物源的病原體，而這些病原體在新出現的疾病中佔70%。聯合國環境規劃署和國際家畜研究所最近的一份報告詳細闡述了生物多樣性喪失與人畜共患病之間的機制，如果我們繼續保持現狀，這些疾病將不斷出現。然而，新冠危機一個意外的積極後果在於，人類現在意識到了保持生物多樣性健康狀況的重要性。將人類、動物和環境健康交織在一起的「一體化衛生」辦法目前正通過模式的轉變而獲得動力。為了保持並利用這種新興的動力以及這種共同的理解，關鍵是要關注那些受到最直接影響的社區，並與之合作。社區可以介紹保護生物多樣性如何能夠保證人類活動的可持續性，從而推動生物多樣性的保護工作。
增進知識
對於全球的科學家來說，新冠疫情是一場與時間的賽跑。在本文發表之際，感染和死亡人數不斷上升，但研究人員仍未發現疫苗或治療方法。靈長類動物學家同樣也參與了一場賽跑，目的是弄清楚這種新病毒如何影響類人猿，並制定安全措施，降低風險。當局為了贏得時間，仿效人類的禁足措施，禁止遊客進入自然公園，公園管理員和科學家們也大多回到家中。因此，不僅要提高對類人猿健康的認識，還要提高對類人猿環境健康的認識，這樣才能保護物種免於滅絕。聯合國教科文組織與法國國家自然歷史博物館（MNHN）和烏幹達塞比託利黑猩猩項目正在開發一個新項目，即利用無人機對非洲19個生物圈保護區內的類人猿及其棲息地進行調查和監測，這樣可以減少保護區內的人類幹擾，防止人畜共患病的傳播風險。該項目將按照「一體化衛生」辦法，尤其關注生物多樣性的健康狀況。
保護棲息地
新冠疫情一個令人意想不到的積極影響是汙染的減少，這為緊張的氛圍帶來了些許放鬆。也正是野生動物在城市居民區中的出現讓人們意識到，這些由人類主導的空間，仍然與野生動物共享。還有兩點積極影響雖不太明顯但同樣重要，一是在野外發現的垃圾量有所減少，而這些垃圾正是將人畜共患病傳染給野生動物的一種途徑，或者至少在疫情禁足期間是這樣；二是不再有類人猿因交通事故而死亡。然而，世界上某些地區由於缺乏肉類而面臨饑荒風險，肉類價格隨之上漲，因此偷獵和非法狩獵並沒有停止。在眾多可能會使我們最親密的動物近親滅絕的風險中，新冠疫情只是其中一個。以目前類人猿數量的減少速度來看，它們甚至有可能在我們的有生之年就在我們眼前滅絕。聯合國教科文組織在非洲和亞洲23個國家指定了39個保護區域（世界遺產地和/或生物圈保護區），它們或是類人猿的棲居地，或位於類人猿的活動範圍內，目前除了克羅斯河大猩猩這個亞種外，涵蓋了所有類人猿。教科文組織正與喀麥隆和奈及利亞合作，將克羅斯河地區指定為跨界生物圈保護區。奈及利亞方面已為該地區提交了一份生物圈保護區提名材料。教科文組織在這些場地內與會員國合作，建設與環境和諧相處的繁榮社會。這包括與當地社區進行專門合作，支持他們自主進行保護和可持續發展工作。與類人猿棲息地的接近會增加人畜共患病的傳播風險。為了在新冠疫情的背景下提高對這一問題的認識，教科文組織在烏幹達塞比託利黑猩猩項目的支持下，為社區以及公園管理員和/或工作人員設計了一系列海報，詳細介紹了防止人與人之間以及人與動物之間傳播疾病的安全建議。
知識是一場持續的旅程，每一步都會遇到更多的信息和更多的問題。但它這並不是一場孤獨的旅程。無論是定期的還是臨時的知識社區，都能促進信息和良好實踐的傳播，就我們的網絡研討會而言，可以幫助實現重要的目標，如保護物種免於滅絕和爭取時間。網絡研討會不僅聚集了科學家，還聚集了許多類人猿棲息地的管理者、決策者和民間社會的成員，他們都急於獲得信息和建議。教科文組織作為思想的交流中心和實驗室，將繼續組織和維護交流平臺，並傳播其成果。
更多信息：
教科文組織保護類人猿的承諾
https://en.unesco.org/themes/biodiversity/great-apes
生物圈保護區
https://en.unesco.org/biosphere
教科文組織對生物多樣性的投入
https://zh.unesco.org/themes/biodiversity
Great apes, loss of biodiversity and COVID-19 - A throwback on the race for knowledge
In early 2020, as the world discovered with increasing concern and distress the tidal spread of COVID-19 infection, experts also turned to our closest cousins with worry. The joint statement issued in March 2020 by IUCN and the Primate Specialist Group was clear: there was no case proving that great apes are susceptible to COVID-19. However, they were highly susceptible to human respiratory pathogens in general and thus, COVID-19 could be fatal. Since then, it has been a race for knowledge to protect great apes, particularly in the wild.
UNESCO has launched a series of online discussions on biodiversity and our relationship with nature. These discussions, gathering civil society, scientific experts and decision-makers, tackled each a different point of view of the sanitary crisis, its origins and consequences. One webinar in particular shed a specific light on the crisis of biodiversity that led to the pandemic and the additional threat it meant for great apes. The experts invited to speak highlighted 3 main factors to understand the roots of the crisis and how to get past it.
Understanding the health of biodiversity
The pandemic drove home the fact that our collective relationship with nature was diseased. Poaching and deforestation bring together species that do not naturally meet and expose humans to pathogens of zoonotic origins, which constitute 70% of emerging diseases. A recent report by the United Nations Environment Programme and the International Livestock Research Institute details the mechanisms between loss of biodiversity and zoonotic diseases and how they will keep emerging if we continue as is. However, an unforeseen positive consequence of the covid-19 crisis is that humanity is now aware of the importance of maintaining a healthy biodiversity. The One Health approach, which interweaves human, animal and environmental health is now gaining momentum in a paradigm shift. To maintain and capitalise on this new dynamic, this collective understanding, it is crucial to look at, and work with, the communities that are most directly impacted. Communities can become an engine for conservation of biodiversity by presenting how conservation guarantees the sustainability of activities.
Improving knowledge
COVID-19, for scientists around the globe, became a race against time. As this article is published, vaccines or treatments are still eluding researchers even while the number of casualties is rising. Similarly, primatologists have engaged in such a race to find out how this new virus could affect great apes and to devise safety measures and mitigate risks. To gain time, just as humans confined themselves, authorities forbade access to natural parks to visitors and rangers and scientists were, mostly, sent home. It is thus vital to improve knowledge on great apes』 health but also their environmental health to preserve the species from extinction. UNESCO, with the French National Museum of Natural History (MNHN) and Sebitoli Chimpanzee Project in Uganda is developing a project to survey and monitor great apes and their habitats in 19 African biosphere reserves with UAVs, which reduces human disturbance in protected areas and prevents any risk of transmission of zoonotic diseases. The project will focus specifically on biodiversity health, following the One Health approach.
Protecting habitats
One unexpected, positive effect of COVID-19 that was largely commented was the decrease in pollution, a literal breath of fresh in an otherwise tense moment. It was also the appearance of wild animals in urban settlements, which led to the realisation that those spaces, dominated by humans, are still shared with the wild. Less visible but just as important were the decrease of refuse found in the wild, factor of transmission of zoonotic diseases to wild animals or, during confinement at least, the stopping of great apes killed by traffic accidents. However, with the high risk of famine due to the lack of meat available in some parts of the world and consequent rise of prices, poaching and illegal hunting have not stopped. COVID-19 is just one risk in a long list that could bring the extinction of our closest cousins in the animal kingdom. With the current rate of decline, it is even possible that this extinction be witnessed in our lifetime. With its 39 designated sites (World Heritage sites and/or Biosphere Reserves) in 23 countries in Africa and in Asia that are home or within the range of great apes, UNESCO currently covers all but one sub-specie of great apes, the Cross-River Gorilla. UNESCO is working with Cameroon and Nigeria to designate the Cross-River area as a transboundary biosphere reserve. For its part, Nigeria has submitted a biosphere reserve nomination dossier for this area. UNESCO works with its Member States within these sites to build thriving societies in harmony with its environment. This includes working specifically with local communities to support their ownership of the conservation, protection and sustainable development efforts. Proximity with great apes habitats, for instance, increase the risks of transmission of zoonotic diseases. To raise awareness on this issue in the context of COVID-19, UNESCO, with the support of the Sebitoli Chimpanzee Project in Uganda, designed a series of posters for communities, but also park rangers and/or employees detailing safety recommendations to prevent transmission between humans but also between humans and animals.
Knowledge is a constant journey and each step is filled with more information, and more questions. However, it is not a journey that should be undertaken alone. Knowledge communities, regular or ad hoc, further the dissemination of information and good practices, and, in the case of our webinars, can help achieve important goals such as protecting species from extinction and against time. The webinars gather scientists but also many managers of sites that are home to great apes, decision makers and members of civil society that were all anxious for information and advice. UNESCO, as a clearing house and laboratory of ideas, will keep organising and maintaining platforms of exchanges and disseminate its results.
More information:
UNESCO's commitment for the protection of great apes
https://en.unesco.org/themes/biodiversity/great-apes
Biosphere reserves
https://en.unesco.org/biosphere
UNESCO's commitment to biodiversity
https://en.unesco.org/themes/biodiversity