The Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza will convene a workshop on responses to Avian Influenza (AI) outbreaks in wild birds. It will be hosted by Museum Koenig (ZFMK) on 23 May 2008 during the COP 9 of the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD). This year’s event will be a Workshop on ‘Animals, people and disease: A cross-cutting issue for biodiversity conservation’ in relation to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreaks in wild birds. The event is co-funded by the Museum Koenig (ZFMK), the Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), and the association ‘Friends of CMS’ and will gather members of the Scientific Task Force as well as national experts with experience of handling outbreaks.

The objective of the workshop is to provide a platform for active debate and direct information sharing on practical responses to Avian Influenza. The focus will put together the current situation with respect to the spread of HPAI H5N1, including its socio-economic and other impacts. The range of issues both for human and wildlife populations raised by emerging and re-emergent diseases, how the impact of these are often enhanced by unsustainable land-use and other policies, and outlining the consequences of these for both human well-being and biodiversity conservation. The experts will condense the extent to which wildlife disease is currently addressed within the policies, plans and programmes of CBD and CMS and to make recommendations for further action drawing from relevant experience in addressing threats from HPAI H5N1 that may assist governments and others address these wider issues.

For more information on the workshop please contact:
Francisco Rilla, Information Officer
UNEP/CMS Secretariat
UN Campus
Bonn, Germany
Tel. : +49 (0) 228 8152460
e-mail: frilla@cms.int

For more information see:
http://www.aiweb.info/