Abstract:
Emerging infectious diseases are an increasingly important driver of biodiversity loss. African swine fever (ASF) exemplifies this threat. Since 2018, this highly virulent virus has spread rapidly across Asia, causing near-total mortality in immunologically naive suid populations. In this Roadmap, we discuss the distribution, epidemiology and conservation impacts of ASF across Asia’s 12 endemic wild pig species and formulate a plan for coordinated action to address this urgent conservation threat. Confirmed infections currently affect at least four species, with two additional species suspected to be susceptible following mass mortality events. Driven by these documented population collapses and by applying the precautionary principle, 2025 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List reassessments uplisted multiple taxa, including babirusas and warty pigs, making Asian endemic suids one of the region’s most threatened vertebrate groups. Addressing this multidimensional biodiversity and food security crisis requires a One Health response. Priority interventions include expanded surveillance, strengthened in situ protection, risk reduction at wildlife–livestock interfaces, strategic ex situ safeguarding, an emergency ASF fund and investment in vaccine research. These interconnected measures provide a framework to prevent ASF-driven extinctions and enable species recovery.
Rode-White, E.J., Mardhiah, U., Surya, S. et al. (2026) ‘Pathways to recover Asian wild pigs from African swine fever’, Nature Reviews Biodiversity. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44358-026-00198-2
