A call to strengthen local governance for preventing and mitigating global crises.

Deforestation and land conversion have dramatic consequences to biodiversity and disease emergence, but they are also deep-rooted in historical forces involved in environmental injustice. Global guidelines tackling global crises approach the problem using top-down formulas that often fail to match local needs and priorities, and are rarely evaluated for local suitability, implications, and impacts. Motivated by the report of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) workshop, published in 2020, we reflect on how drivers of zoonotic disease emergence are linked to historical injustices and how global initiatives tackling global crises are prone to reproducing colonial structures. We provide examples of local governance strengthening through horizontal and interdisciplinary collaborations, and how the support of local solutions can build resilience against global crises.

Serological evidence of exposure of Bornean wild carnivores to feline-related viruses at the domestic animal-wildlife interface.

We conducted an exploratory serological survey to evaluate the exposure of Bornean wild carnivores to several viruses common to domestic felids, at interface areas between protected forest and industrial agriculture in the Kinabatangan floodplain (Sabah, Malaysia). Blood samples, collected from wild carnivores (n = 21) and domestic cats (n = 27), were tested for antibodies against feline coronavirus (FCoV), feline panleukopenia virus (FPLV), feline herpesvirus (FHV) and feline calicivirus (FCV), using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test kits. Anti-FCoV antibodies were detected in most species, including one flat-headed cat (Prionailurus planiceps, [1/2]), leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis, [2/5]), Malay civets (Viverra tangalunga, [2/11]) and domestic cats (Felis catus, [2/27]). Anti-FCV antibodies were present in all domestic cats and one flat-headed cat, while anti-FPLV antibodies were identified in Sunda clouded leopards (Neofelis diardi, [2/2]), domestic cats [12/27] and Malay civets [2/11]. Anti-FHV antibodies were only detected in domestic cats [2/27]. Our findings indicate pathogen transmission risk between domestic and wild carnivore populations at the domestic animal-wildlife interface, emphasizing the concern for wildlife conservation for several endangered wild carnivores living in the area. Special consideration should be given to species that benefit from their association with humans and have the potential to carry pathogens between forest and plantations (e.g., Malay civets and leopard cats). Risk reduction strategies should be incorporated and supported as part of conservation actions in human-dominated landscapes.