Hi all, I have sort of a paradoxical scenario that applies to several species groups throughout Southeast Asia and is becoming more and more probable in the very near future. I need to start a discussion with conservation-minded people who realize the implications of conservation policy advocacy and adverse effects those policy changes may have:
One of the common buzz-words of the post-Covid era is "One Health". For those unfamiliar with the One Health approach, it is a holistic framework with the objective of identifying and achieving balance between the health of people, animals, and ecosystems. The One Health approach is a lens that recognizes humans, wildlife, and the environment are intrinsically connected, whereby beneficial or adverse effects on one component will directly affect the others.
When we apply One Health to wildlife trade policy, many groups are advocating that hotspot wildlife trade nations (like Vietnam and China), do not implement all-out bans on wildlife, but instead a select group of high-risk species that are prone to zoonotic disease transfer with humans, as a pandemic prevention measure... and here lay the issue....
I have just recently analyzed data for three government rescue centers in the north and south Vietnam for an IUCN project, and during the pandemic, we have seen an increase in "High-risk species X" (insert primates, viverrids, mustelids, etc.) rescues compared to the years prior. I spoke with some of the rescue team and managers and they said that people are voluntarily handing over captive High-risk species X to authorities more often now because they worry about disease, and more strict wildlife regulation enforcement since the pandemic began. This has definitely put a strain on Rescue Center facilities in the country, especially those run by government employees who don't have regular access to experienced vets, and who often release animals that have no business being released back into the wild (obviously ill, over habituated to humans, non-native to the area, etc.) I'm wondering what solutions we can recommend for this problem, because if conservationists continue to advocate for these "Common Sense One Health Policies" that elevate an all-out ban high-risk species, and start realistically enforcing bans on keeping High-risk Species X these voluntary hand-overs will explode and result in Rescue Centers filling over their capacity, and government officials rapidly releasing tons of High-risk Species X (whether native or not) back into the nearest protected area forests. The fallout from this could be devastating -- biological invasions, massive outbreaks of disease into wild populations, inbred depression from farmed animals decreasing fitness of wild populations, who knows what else...
And there is the paradox -- If we ban high-risk zoonotic disease species from wildlife trade, we protect them from that particular threat, and we prevent future pandemics through that particular human-wildlife interface; but in doing so, we risk damning a more significant population-level of wildlife, which could also lead to a pandemic through a different interface caused by the releases and inter-species spikes.
How do we address this problem before it happens -- and it will happen?
A map that identifies hotspots where wildlife trade could cause the most damage might help conservation scientists and policymakers to decide where to focus resources. Species’ evolutionary histories and information about their ecological roles were mapped onto data about illegal and legal trade of birds and mammals. The map shows the potential impact of removing a species from an ecosystem...
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02416-9
As climate change and urban development fuels the destruction of natural habitats, many conservationists have emphasized the need to protect endangered animals left without shelter. But creating artificial shelters isn’t easy, and some have been found to be harmful. Can technology help improve designs?
https://undark.org/2023/09/11/in-search-of-safer-refuge-the-challenges-of-replicating-nature/
Machine learning helps wildlife conservation
Think of an owl, and you probably picture a bird hooting from a tree deep in the wilderness. In fact, recent research finds that owls adapt very well to urban and industrial settings and are increasingly found thriving in areas of high human population. It’s one finding from a team at the University of Alaska Fairbanks that’s using machine learning to understand and predict where different animals live and thrive. As the delicate balance that sustains our planet’s wildlife is disrupted, researchers need these kinds of bold new ways to use technology to monitor species and better conserve their habitats...
https://blogs.oracle.com/research/post/alaska-fairbanks-develops-machine-learning-to-aid-wildlife-conservation?source=:em:nw:mt::::RC_WWMK200429P00044C00168:NSL400314284
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