News Releases - WCS Newsroom > Issues > Wildlife Health and Health Policy

New York, N.Y. | February 12, 2020

Blowing Up Biodiversity Offsetting: Scientists Propose New “Target-Based” Approach

A team of scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), University of Queensland, and a dozen other organizations has developed a new alternative to “biodiversity offsetting” where compensation is provided to achieve an outcome of “no net loss” of biodiversity from development projects.

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New York, New York | January 26, 2020

WCS: Chinese ban on the sale of wildlife in markets, restaurants and over e-commerce needs to be permanent

The Wildlife Conservation Society issued a statement concerning China’s announcement to temporarily ban the sale of wildlife in markets, restaurants and over e-commerce.

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New York, New York | January 22, 2020

WCS Calls for Closing Live Animal Markets that Trade in Wildlife in Wake of Coronavirus Outbreak

With the outbreak of the Wuhan Conronavirus, the Wildlife Conservation Society is calling for governments to recognize the global public health threats of live animal markets and to strengthen enforcement efforts on trafficking of wild animals.

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BERLIN, Germany | October 25, 2019

Global Health Leaders Issue Urgent Call for United Effort to Stop Diseases Threatening All Life on Earth

Global leaders in wildlife and human health today issued 10 principles – The Berlin Principles – with an urgent call to governments, academia, and civil society that all sectors need to break down barriers to ensure a united effort to prevent the emergence or resurgence of diseases that threaten humans, wildlife, and livestock.

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BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo | August 28, 2019

Study: Community-based wildlife carcass surveillance is key for early detection of Ebola virus in Central Africa

WCS and NIH (National Institutes of Health) scientists partnered with the Republic of Congo Ministry of Health to develop a low-cost educational outreach program and surveillance system for wildlife mortality that has continued now for over a decade.

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GENEVA, Switzerland | August 18, 2019

Fate of Prehistoric, Critically Endangered Saiga Antelope to be Decided at CITES

The fate of the saiga, a prehistoric antelope species, found on the windswept steppes of Central Asia, will be decided as CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) gathers for its 18th Conference of the Parties (CoP18) August 17-28 in Geneva. The saiga is on the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered and is vital to the ecosystem of Mongolia’s steppe.

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NEW YORK, N.Y. | May 06, 2019

WCS Issues Statement Regarding IPBES Alarming Report on Assault Against Nature

The following statement was released by the Wildlife Conservation Society today in regard to a landmark report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES):

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NEW YORK, N.Y. | April 24, 2019

Life-Threatening Foot Disease Found in Endangered Huemul Deer in Chile

Scientists report the first cases of foot disease for endangered huemul deer in Chilean Patagonia in a study led by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the University of California, Davis’ One Health Institute, with partnering institutions in Chile and the United States.

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SUZHOU, China | April 15, 2019

Concerning Efforts to Prevent the Extinction of the Giant Yangtze Soft Shell Turtle

The last known female Giant Yangtze Soft Shell Turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) died on Saturday, April 13, 2019, during recovery from anesthesia after an artificial insemination procedure in Suzhou, China.

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Jakarta , Indonesia | January 07, 2019

Op-Ed: Molecular Tech Helps Fight Wildlife Crime

Over the past decade, portable technologies, including miniature sequencing and DNA detection tools, have been developed that have great potential in the fight against wildlife crime.

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