Human activity can disrupt wildlife habitats in such a way that it leads to the emergence of new animal-to-human transmitted diseases like COVID-19, in a process known as zoonosis, researchers say.

Zoonosis occurs when an infection carried by an animal, like a bat in the case of COVID-19, is transmissible to a human. Six out of every 10 infectious diseases in people are zoonotic, says Roland Kays, a research professor in the forestry and environmental resources department at North Carolina State University’s College of Natural Resources.

Over the past decade, the illegal wildlife trade, a multi-billion-dollar industry, has become substantially worse. The trade has become further organized, and authorities haven’t intervened sufficiently. In March, the Chinese government enacted a permanent ban on the trade and consumption of wild animals following the global outbreak of COVID-19.

“With this international shipping of wildlife, from Africa to Asia and from different parts of North America, many of us are hoping that authorities will finally take this crime seriously now that they realize some of the human health implications of it,” Kays says. “This is the worst one, but it certainly isn’t the first one, and it’s not going to be the last one if we don’t stop it.”

But wildlife markets aren’t the only sources of zoonotic diseases. As humans continue to convert wildlife habitats and encroach on them for hunting and gathering purposes, we’re setting ourselves up for the further spread of disease.

As further habitat conversion occurs, from forests to pasture or crop fields, additional carbon is being emitted, and the climate is changing rapidly. With zoonotic diseases like COVID-19, the significant unknowable risk the world faces come to light: loss of biodiversity.

Read the full article about zoonosis and coronavirus by Emma Gosalvez at Futurity.