Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Wildlife, people and development: veterinary contributions to wildlife health and resource management in Africa.
- Journal:
- Tropical animal health and production
- Year:
- 1996
- Authors:
- Kock, M D
- Affiliation:
- Department of National Parks and Wild Life Management
Plain-English summary
In Africa, human activities like population growth, habitat destruction, and illegal hunting are threatening wildlife and leading to a loss of biodiversity. To prevent wildlife from disappearing, it’s important to find a balance between conservation efforts and development that benefits local communities. This means that wildlife should not only be valued for its beauty but also for its contributions to people's lives. Veterinarians play a vital role in this effort by helping to manage wildlife health, conducting research, monitoring diseases, and providing training. Their work is essential for maintaining healthy ecosystems and ensuring that wildlife can thrive alongside human populations.
Abstract
Human population pressures, habitat loss, environmental degradation and illegal hunting in Africa have resulted in the loss of biodiversity and near extinction of certain wildlife species. The dilemma for Africa is the balancing of conservation and development. If wildlife is not to become a relic of the past then it must have more than just aesthetic value. It must contribute materially to the well being of people who live close to the resource. In fact, appropriate management of biodiversity would lay the foundations for a more positive future for the rural people of Africa, with the key being the adoption of an active adaptive management philosophy. This paper reviews the issue of sustainable use of wildlife resources and how the Veterinary profession contributes positively to wildlife health management in Africa. These contributions have been through increasing veterinary inputs into wildlife management and research, disease surveillance and prevention, training and education. Wildlife and ecosystems are increasingly having to be managed in order to save and maintain biological diversity. Veterinarians have a crucial role to play towards the maintenance of wildlife health as part of a multi-disciplinary wildlife management team.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8815616/