One Health and Zoonotic Diseases

One Health

• Recognizes that the health of domestic animals is connected to the health of humans and the environment
• Increasingly recognized due to emerging global issues

Zoonotic Diseases

• Diseases that can be transferred between animals and humans are an example of one health
• Caused by viruses, bacteria, prions, parasites, and fungi
• Avian influenza is an example

Disease Transmission

• Direct transmission occurs through touching an infected animal.
• Indirect transmission occurs through contact with blood, feces, urine, or saliva from an infected animal.
• Vector transmission occurs from infected to uninfected animals through mosquitoes

Agent-Host-Environment Epidemiological Triangle

• Represents the interaction between agent, host, and environment in disease causation, with the host carrying the disease, the agent causing it, and the environment fomenting conditions for transmission

Avian Influenza

• Bird flu is caused by a virus
• All subtypes are primarily adapted to bird species
• Pigs can be intermediate hosts with wildlife connections

Poultry Connections

• Higher human population density correlates with increased outbreaks
• Outbreaks increase with vegetation productivity and lower elevation

Avian Flu Management

• PPE (personal protective equipment) is vital
• Masks are important
• Vaccines can be used
• Limited contact is necessary

One Health II - Career Opportunities

• Provides career opportunities in environmental health, ecology, and public health

Emerging Infectious Disease

• Re-emerging diseases include the same disease in a new strand
• There is antibiotic resistance from disease

Pathogen

• Infectious micro-organisms such as a virus, bacterium, or prion are pathogens

Human to Dog Diseases

• Toxocara and giardia are two examples

Mitigation Options

• PPE is an option
• Vaccinations are an option
• Safety education is required
• Dewormer is an option
• Population control is an option

Climate Science - Key Points for Climate Change

• It is warming
• Humans are the reason; "it is us"
• Climate change is certain; "we are sure"
• Climate change is detrimental; "it is bad"
• Potential to reverse or improve; "we can fix it"

Weather vs. Climate

• Climate is measured over long periods of time, such as decades or centuries
• Weather is measured over a short period of time, such as days or weeks

What is Climate Change?

• A statistically significant change in long-term weather patterns over time

Causes of Climate Change

• Internal forcing mechanisms (natural changes) include ocean variability and biological activity
• External forcing mechanisms include solar output, earth’s magnetic field strength, volcanic eruptions, and human influences

Detecting/Measuring Climate Change

• Glaciers can be measured
• Indigenous people have information
• Soil profiles have information
• Tree rings have information

Anthropogenic Global Warming

• Climate change is directly caused by human activity and began in the late 19th century

Hockey Stick Graph

• Illustrates temperature changes over time, with a baseline and a sharp increase around 1760 (Industrial Revolution)

Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)

• Include methane, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, and CFC's

Climate Change Notes

• Climate extremes are the biggest cost with climate change
• 97% of scientists agree climate change is real

Climate Change on the Farm - Livestock

• Livestock production contributes to climate change
• Changes in climate have impacted livestock
• Feed production is the largest contributor

Mitigation Strategies in Livestock

• Manure storage/removal
• High efficient feed
• Increased productivity
• Different species

Climate Change Impacts on Livestock Production

• Benefits are most likely short term
• Manure storage = ↑ N2O

Adapting to Climate Change in livestock

• It is important to identify breeds with inherent genetic capabilities

Species at Risk Act (S.A.R.A)

• Commitment by the federal government to prevent wildlife extinction and ensure recovery with legal protection of wildlife species
• Key tools include official recognition, habitat protection, and safety net
• S.A.R.A. maintains a list of plants and animals federally recognized as special concern, threatened, endangered, extirpated, and extinct in Canada

C.O.S.E.W.I.C.

• Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada assesses the national status of species considered at risk in Canada

Definitions and Examples of levels of risk

• Extinct: A wildlife species that no longer exists on earth (e.g., Dodo Bird)
• Extirpated: Species no longer existing in the wild, but occurring elsewhere with a chance of recovery (e.g., Black-footed Ferret)
• Endangered: Species facing imminent extirpation or extinction (e.g., Sage Grouse)
• Threatened: Species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed
• Special Concern: Species that may become threatened/endangered because of a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats (e.g., Polar Bears)
• Not at Risk: Wildlife species that has been evaluated and found to be not at risk of extinction given current circumstances (e.g., Elk, Deer)
• Data Deficient: Risk assessment is impossible due to insufficient information

Threats to Species at Risk

• Habitat loss (primarily due to agriculture) is a primary cause
• Introduced species
• Over-exploitation
• Pollution
• Natural Disasters

'Operation Burrowing Owl'

• 1987 conservation attempt was a successful case study, using education, habitat enhancement, and conservation easements

Mitigation Options for Species at Risk

• Conservation easements
• Education
• Legislation (S.A.R.A.)
• Recovering land
• Modifying practices

Invasive Species

• Occurs when a species lives outside its native range due to deliberate or accidental human activity
• Can be damaging, beneficial, or neutral to humans and ecosystems

Invasive Species

• Exotic species that cause harm to economical, environmental, or human systems
• Second greatest threat to biodiversity (e.g., Leafy Spurge)

Invasive Species Impact

• A 2.2 Billion/year agricultural impact
• Impacts include spreading disease, destroying crops/buildings, competing with native species, destroying pasture land, and harming livestock

"Tens-Rule"

• An estimated 1/10 alien species will become established as free-living populations, and 1/10 of those will become invasive

Risk Assessment

• It is the process of quantitatively and qualitatively determining risk related to a specific threat
• Risk = (magnitude of potential loss) * (probability)

Risk Management

• Prevention
• Early detection (very critical)
• Rapid response
• Contain and control
• Review and report

Invasive Species Mitigation

• Risk assessments
• Early detection
• Quick response
• Pesticides
• Herbicides

Ecosystem Services

• Defined as the good things that nature does
• Supporting Services: Necessary for production of all other ecosystem services (e.g., water, air)
• Provisioning Services: Products obtained from ecosystems (e.g., lumber, food)
• Regulating Services: Benefits obtained from regulating ecosystem processes (e.g., the ocean absorbs CO2)
• Cultural Services: Non-material benefits people obtain from ecosystems (e.g., outdoor exercising, spiritual connections)

Payments for Ecosystem Services

• Incentives provided to livestock producers to provide an ecological benefit; 'payments to voluntary providers'
• Promotes ecosystem conservation

Conservation Reserve Program (C.R.P)

• The world's largest and longest-running PES program, originally aimed at preventing erosion, and began in the 1950's

Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS)

• Guiding principles include being community developed, farmer-delivered, targeted, market-driven, voluntary, integrated, accountable, and science-based
• ALUS pays farmers to retain and reconstruct natural areas, funded by provincial & federal governments

Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC)

• It is a leading non-profit private land conservation
• Fee Simple: Refers to land that NCC owns (have land title), so land management becomes NCC's responsibility

Conservation Easements

• Landowner voluntarily gives up certain development rights or opportunities on all or part of the land, ensuring long-term protection of the conservation values and legal agreement

NCC Focus

• Uses natural area conservation plans and open standards for conservation; each fee simple property has a property management plan (PMP)

PMP Purpose

• What PMP's do: identify conservation goals and how to achieve goals
• Renewed every 5 years