Guidance for the assessment of health interventions in the wildlife trade

Evaluation is a systematic and flexible approach to learning about and improving the value of intervention programs and policies. In wildlife trade, it can increase the quality and safety of interventions and increase accountability to stakeholders, funders, and the public. Program evaluations inform decisions and identify options for program improvement. The current lack of systematic program evaluations or implementation studies in combination with often conservative administrative structures makes it difficult for decision makers to select interventions most likely to be efficient, acceptable, effective, and sustainable within and across the socio-economic and ecological context of wildlife trade. Considering the diversity of species and their products, people, and places involved in the wildlife trade, a one-size-fits-all approach to evaluation is not feasible. The objective of this guiding document is to create a framework for implementation science and evaluation of health risk reduction efforts in wildlife trade that provides advice and guidance on the types of questions, considerations and approaches that should be considered when one is trying to customize an evaluation for a specific intervention. We are proposing a conceptual framework to promote the uptake and adaptation of implementation science and program evaluation thinking in wildlife trade. We aim to strengthen evidence-based practices to reduce the risk of pathogen transmission within the wildlife trade.