Local impacts and perceptions of global changes : health, biodiversity and zoonoses in Southeast Asia

Informations

Funding country

France

Acronym

BiodivHealthSEA

URL

-

Start date

1/1/2012

End date

-

Budget

521,160 EUR

Fundings

Abstract

The project aims at investigating the local impacts of global changes on zoonotic diseases (60% of emerging diseases), focusing on rodent-borne diseases, in relation to biodiversity changes. The local perception of biodiversity changes and their links to health is analyzed through the global governance, the national public policies and the actions of NGOs in the sectoral domains of health, environment, conservation and development (i.e. the “One Health” approach). The project is localized in Southeast Asia, a hotspot of infectious emerging diseases of potential global pandemics and, also, a hotspot of biodiversity particularly at threat due to land use and climate changes. Southeast Asia attracts the attention of international organizations, developmental agencies and non-governmental conservationist organizations for its global concerns in terms of biodiversity and health. Southeast Asia is a model to investigate locally the perception and effects of global changes and global governance on the interaction between biodiversity and health. Rodents are used as models for investigation biodiversity changes and for their important roles as reservoirs of zoonotic diseases (leptospirosis, scrub typhus). Southeast Asia is a diversification center for murid rodents; which appear to be good indicators of habitat changes, carriers and reservoirs of numerous diseases, agricultural pests. Rodents are the subject of traditional huntings and for some of wildlife transnational trades. Rodents are particularly suitable for studying the relationships between humans and their environment, while assessing health due to diseases transmitted by rodents. The objectives of BiodivHealthSEA are to analyze (1) the local impacts of global changes on zoonotic diseases in relation to biodiversity modification and environmental changes, and (2) the local perceptions of global environmental and biodiversity changes in connection with the “global governance architecture” and national public policies and actions of NGOs in the sectoral domains of health, conservation biology and land planning. For this, we will analysis (or re-analysis) and cross correlate various data at the regional and national levels to determine the socio-environmental determinants (climate change, biodiversity loss, changes forest cover), of endemics and epidemic infectious diseases. The investigation of international initiatives and national policies in the domains of health, climate regulation, and biodiversity conservation will give a third originality by assessing the roles of institutional actors and the coordination (or the lack of) between sectors (e.g. health and conservation sectors are establishing a partnership through the One Health initiative). Analyses of three local situations by a multi-disciplinary team (social scientists, environmental scientists, ecologists and epidemiologists) will provide original data on biodiversity, rodent-borne diseases, land uses, local practices, health surveillance and perception of biodiversity/health/environment interdependence. Integration and dissemination of results will be done in the frame of a companion modeling approach in local and regional workshops attended by various actors: stakeholders (ONGs, International organizations, National institutions), local communities and scientists.