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Biodiversity, land use change, and human health in northeastern Madagascar: an interdisciplinary study
Meeting Abstracts
Biodiversity, land use change, and human health in northeastern Madagascar: an interdisciplinary study Randall Kramer, James Herrera, Ryan Fitzgerald, James Moody, Ajile Owens, Michelle Pender, Ny Anjara Fifi Ravelomanantsoa, Lisa Regula, Pablo Tortosa, Charles Nunn
Abstract
Background Given rapid land use changes and climate change underway in many low-income and middle-income countries, it is vitally important to understand how ecosystem changes influence biodiversity and human health, and to identify actions that can improve conservation, while also improving human health. We are investigating how human activities alter ecological communities and influence infectious disease risk near Marojejy National Park in northeastern Madagascar. We are coupling (i) cutting-edge social science methods to investigate the drivers of human land-use decision-making, and (ii) ecological analyses to investigate how these land use decisions impact zoonotic infectious disease transmission in small mammals, domesticated animals, and humans.
Published Online September 3, 2019
Findings Results show that illness is frequent within community households, with a high prevalence of fevers over the previous 3 months (40%). Non-native species have higher relative and total abundance in agricultural fields, with highest relative abundance of introduced species in the unsustainable rice farming setting. Prevalence of Leptospira, a pathogenic bacterium transmitted through urine and contaminated water, was over four times higher in paddy rice fields than in forests or hillside slash-and-burn fields.
Nicholas School of the Environment (Prof R Kramer PhD), Duke Global Health Institute (R Fitzgerald BS, Prof R Kramer, Prof C Nunn PhD, A Owens BA, M Pender MPH), Department of Evolutionary Anthropology (J Herrera PhD, L Regula, Prof C Nunn), and Department of Sociology (Prof J Moody PhD, A Owens), Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Biology, University of Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar (N A F Ravelomanantsoa MS); and Department of Biology, University of La Réunion, Saint-Denis, Réunion, France (P Tortosa PhD)
Interpretation Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that changes in land use and biodiversity can influence animal health, which may in turn affect disease risk for humans. We are now expanding ecological and household data collection to additional villages, as well as developing choice experiments to better understand farmer decision making about sustainable agricultural practices.
Correspondence to: Prof Randall Kramer, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708 USA [email protected]
Methods The study team conducted preliminary fieldwork in one village in 2017 and 2018 including household surveys, social network surveys and trapping of small mammals to screen for parasites and pathogens. We constructed a social network of 500 people to investigate disease risk patterns based on agricultural co-working relationships. In addition, the team captured 552 small mammals and found variation in abundance and diversity across a gradient of human land use.
Funding Duke University Bass Connections programme for interdisciplinary research. Copyright © The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Contributors RK, CN, JH, MP, JM and PT contributed to study design. RK, CN, JH, MP, JM, PT, AO, RF, LR and NAFR contributed to data collection. RK, JH, CN, AO and MP contributed to data analysis. Declaration of interests We declare no competing interests.
www.thelancet.com/planetary-health
7
Biodiversity, land use change, and human health in northeastern Madagascar: an interdisciplinary study Randall Kramer, James Herrera, Ryan Fitzgerald, James Moody, Ajile Owens, Michelle Pender, Ny Anjara Fifi Ravelomanantsoa, Lisa Regula, Pablo Tortosa, Charles Nunn
Abstract
Background Given rapid land use changes and climate change underway in many low-income and middle-income countries, it is vitally important to understand how ecosystem changes influence biodiversity and human health, and to identify actions that can improve conservation, while also improving human health. We are investigating how human activities alter ecological communities and influence infectious disease risk near Marojejy National Park in northeastern Madagascar. We are coupling (i) cutting-edge social science methods to investigate the drivers of human land-use decision-making, and (ii) ecological analyses to investigate how these land use decisions impact zoonotic infectious disease transmission in small mammals, domesticated animals, and humans.
Published Online September 3, 2019
Findings Results show that illness is frequent within community households, with a high prevalence of fevers over the previous 3 months (40%). Non-native species have higher relative and total abundance in agricultural fields, with highest relative abundance of introduced species in the unsustainable rice farming setting. Prevalence of Leptospira, a pathogenic bacterium transmitted through urine and contaminated water, was over four times higher in paddy rice fields than in forests or hillside slash-and-burn fields.
Nicholas School of the Environment (Prof R Kramer PhD), Duke Global Health Institute (R Fitzgerald BS, Prof R Kramer, Prof C Nunn PhD, A Owens BA, M Pender MPH), Department of Evolutionary Anthropology (J Herrera PhD, L Regula, Prof C Nunn), and Department of Sociology (Prof J Moody PhD, A Owens), Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Biology, University of Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar (N A F Ravelomanantsoa MS); and Department of Biology, University of La Réunion, Saint-Denis, Réunion, France (P Tortosa PhD)
Interpretation Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that changes in land use and biodiversity can influence animal health, which may in turn affect disease risk for humans. We are now expanding ecological and household data collection to additional villages, as well as developing choice experiments to better understand farmer decision making about sustainable agricultural practices.
Correspondence to: Prof Randall Kramer, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708 USA [email protected]
Methods The study team conducted preliminary fieldwork in one village in 2017 and 2018 including household surveys, social network surveys and trapping of small mammals to screen for parasites and pathogens. We constructed a social network of 500 people to investigate disease risk patterns based on agricultural co-working relationships. In addition, the team captured 552 small mammals and found variation in abundance and diversity across a gradient of human land use.
Funding Duke University Bass Connections programme for interdisciplinary research. Copyright © The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Contributors RK, CN, JH, MP, JM and PT contributed to study design. RK, CN, JH, MP, JM, PT, AO, RF, LR and NAFR contributed to data collection. RK, JH, CN, AO and MP contributed to data analysis. Declaration of interests We declare no competing interests.
www.thelancet.com/planetary-health
7