WOAH launches Wildlife Health Strategy 2026–2030 to strengthen prevention, surveillance systems and rapid response capacities

During its 93rd General Session in May, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) has launched its new Wildlife Health Strategy 2026–2030, to reaffirm the importance of wildlife health surveillance systems as a cornerstone of global health security, biodiversity conservation and resilient ecosystems under an integrated health approach. 

Following the achievements of the Wildlife Health Framework (2021–2025), the new Strategy outlines a more focused and operational roadmap to support WOAH Members in preventing, detecting and responding to health risks at the human, animal, environment interface.

In a context marked by increasing interactions between humans, domestic animals and wildlife, WOAH is positioning wildlife health as a strategic global priority. The Strategy is organised around three main objectives to strengthen governance of wildlife health systems, improve scientific knowledge and risk analysis based policies and sustainable, integrated multisectoral wildlife heath surveillance systems, this new Strategy has focus areas on surveillance systems, addressing health risk in wildlife trade and support upstream prevention efforts to reduce the risk of disease emergence. In fact, healthy wildlife populations are essential not only for biodiversity conservation, but also for protecting animal health, public health, ecosystem resilience and supporting sustainable food systems worldwide.  

Protecting wildlife health through stronger surveillance and policy