Advancing National Wildlife Disease Surveillance Planning in Liberia

Advancing National Wildlife Disease Surveillance Planning in Liberia

Wild animal populations are critical for ecosystems and people. In Liberia, surveillance is not routinely conducted in wildlife, despite growing health threats. In March 2025 a training was held to strengthen Liberia’s capacity for wildlife surveillance, building on IUCN-WOAH “General Guidelines for Surveillance of Diseases, Pathogens, and Toxic Agents in Free-Ranging Wildlife”, providing a chance to apply the Guidelines in a national context and gain feedback. Organized with national and international stakeholders, the training sought to enhance knowledge and intersectoral collaboration to monitor and mitigate wildlife-related health risks, through an overview of surveillance; reflection on recent surveillance initiatives; the ALERT game that simulates real-world surveillance scenarios; a field-based portion for surveillance scoping at human-animal-environment interfaces; and designing surveillance programs. A visit to the Central Veterinary Laboratory and Fendell Wetland reinforced surveillance system connections.

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