UN: Wetlands stop bird flu

2006-04-12 14:25

Nairobi - Restoring the world's wetlands may be critical in preventing outbreaks of avian flu, says a recently released United Nations report.

According to the report, entitled "Avian Influenza and the Environment", the revival of the world's wetlands will keep migratory birds from mixing with domesticated fowl.

It said the degradation of wetlands had forced wild birds, some carrying the H5N1 strain, into alternative habitats such as farm ponds and paddy fields, increasing the risk of the disease spreading to domestic poultry.

The report, presented at a two-day conference at the Nairobi-based UN environment programme (Unep) in Kenya, said contact between migratory birds and their domesticated cousins was a major cause of the spread of avian flu.

It urged a "massive" investment in wetlands restoration as well as efforts to move poultry farms from beneath migratory bird flyways, where the chances of domestic fowl being infected are greater.

Unep deputy director Shafqat Kakakhel said: "There are numerous reasons for conserving and restoring degraded ecosystems like wetlands.

"They filter pollution and absorb floods and storm water.

"Their ability to disperse and keep wild birds away from domestic ones is another compelling argument for conserving and rehabilitating them."

The report also called for the separation of poultry from human populations.

- AFP