{"id":4935,"date":"2022-03-02T13:13:17","date_gmt":"2022-03-02T19:13:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pasopacifico.org\/?p=4935"},"modified":"2024-02-28T07:22:56","modified_gmt":"2024-02-28T13:22:56","slug":"how-conservation-helps-prevent-outbreaks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pasopacifico.org\/how-conservation-helps-prevent-outbreaks\/","title":{"rendered":"How Conservation Helps Prevent Outbreaks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since the beginning of the pandemic, news outlets have reported on investigators\u2019 efforts to pinpoint the \u201cground zero\u201d of the COVID-19 virus. The question seemingly not under media scrutiny, however, is how we may be able to prevent such outbreaks of disease from occurring in the future. <strong>Although many think of vaccines as the best way to prevent disease, the best preventive medicine may in fact be maintaining tropical rainforest biodiversity and practicing forest conservation.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Deforestation and Wildlife Trafficking Spread Viral Diseases to Humans<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As of 2021, zoonotic diseases\u2014viruses that are transmissible from animals to humans\u2014accounted for no less than <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservation.org\/blog\/5-ways-nature-supports-human-health#:~:text=Environmental%20degradation%2C%20deforestation%20and%20wildlife%20trafficking%20drive%20disease%20outbreaks%3A%20Seventy%20percent%20of%20emerging%20viral%20diseases%20have%20spread%20from%20animals%20to%20humans.%C2%A0\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">70% of emerging viral diseases<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Such pathogens, some of which can spread to the point of pandemic, are chiefly spread by the following <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hsph.harvard.edu\/c-change\/news\/preventingpandemicsresearch\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">factors<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Destruction of tropical forests and lost habitats, which can drive wildlife into human-populated areas, increasing animal-human encounters<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lack of biodiversity caused by deforestation. This leads to the extinction of many species, and those that survive are <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-020-02341-1#:~:text=while%20some%20species%20are%20going%20extinct%2C%20those%20that%20tend%20to%20survive%20and%20thrive%20%E2%80%94%20rats%20and%20bats%2C%20for%20instance%20%E2%80%94%20are%20more%20likely%20to%20host%20potentially%20dangerous%20pathogens%20that%20can%20make%20the%20jump%20to%20humans.\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">more likely to be carriers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of zoonotic diseases<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Expansion of agricultural lands, particularly near human settlements, and livestock operations in these areas<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wildlife hunting and trade, which intensifies the frequency of animal-human contact, especially in unhygienic meat and animal markets<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rapid or poorly planned urbanization, which also results in lost wildlife habitats and drives animals into human-populated areas<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Climate change, which causes wildlife to migrate in search of more hospitable habitats, bringing pathogens to new regions<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Strategies for Protecting Tropical Forests and Preventing Disease Outbreaks<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are multiple strategies that can be taken to help prevent widespread viral infections. In low-income countries, one solution is to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hsph.harvard.edu\/c-change\/news\/preventingpandemicsresearch\/#:~:text=In%20low%2D%20and%20middle%2Dincome%20countries%2C%20leverage%20investments%20to%20strengthen%20healthcare%20systems%20and%20One%20Health%20platforms%20to%20jointly%20advance%20conservation%2C%20animal%20and%20human%20health%2C%20and%20spillover%20prevention.\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">improve human health education<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and care systems in tandem with conservation education and efforts.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another strategy is to monitor and reduce legal <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/research\/preventing-pandemics-through-biodiversity-conservation-and-smart-wildlife-trade-regulation\/#:~:text=better%20monitoring%20of%20the%20legal%20trade%20in%20wildlife%3B%20diligently%20suppressing%20illegal%20and%20unsustainable%20trade%20in%20wildlife\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">wildlife trade<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and eradicate illegal animal markets. Education can play a significant role as well: the more buyers are aware of how zoonotic diseases are spread, the weaker such markets may become.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perhaps the most important step is to support policies that reduce deforestation and wildlife habitat loss. This is important both for existing intact forests and those that have become fragmented. Doing so can not only help prevent future pandemics, but slow climate change as well.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Help Prevent Future Pandemics by Supporting Conservation Organizations&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pasopacifico.org\/\"><b>Paso Pac\u00edfico<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, our mission is to create wildlife corridors that safeguard biodiversity while connecting people to their land and ocean. Our goal is to restore and conserve Mesoamerica&#8217;s Pacific Slope ecosystems. The threatened mangrove wetlands, dry tropical forests, and eastern Pacific coral reefs are among these ecosystems.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pasopacifico.org\/projects\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">conservation programs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at Paso Pac\u00edfico<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">benefit directly from your <a href=\"https:\/\/secure.givelively.org\/donate\/paso-pacifico\">donations<\/a>. These include education programs that teach children the principles of biology, ecology, and environmental citizenship. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pasopacifico.org\/contact-us\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contact us<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> today!&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since the beginning of the pandemic, news outlets have reported on investigators\u2019 efforts to pinpoint the \u201cground zero\u201d of the COVID-19 virus. The question seemingly not under media scrutiny, however, is how we may be able to prevent such outbreaks of disease from occurring in the future. Although many think of vaccines as the best [&hellip;]<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5065,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[216,211],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4935","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-conservation-initiatives","8":"category-environmental-conservation","9":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pasopacifico.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4935"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pasopacifico.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pasopacifico.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pasopacifico.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pasopacifico.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4935"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pasopacifico.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4935\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6199,"href":"https:\/\/pasopacifico.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4935\/revisions\/6199"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pasopacifico.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pasopacifico.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pasopacifico.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pasopacifico.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}