Abstract

In 2003, the Pew Oceans Commission⁴ issued the following diagnosis and challenge: "....oceans are in crisis and the stakes could not be higher...without reform our daily actions will increasingly jeopardize a valuable natural resource..." A polarized response ensued, with some groups and individuals claiming that Pew was misinformed and unnecessarily alarmist, but others indicating that a clarion call to change the way humans go about their lives and businesses was overdue and liberating.

Aquatic animal health professionals are already noting multiple manifestations, including incidence of diseases in wildlife populations, of our rapidly changing world (e.g., see^2,5). Even if exposed animals survive an insult or stressor, diminution of immune function and reproductive potential can result in significant sublethal impacts that compromise sustainability of populations and species. Professionals in animal health care can build long and productive careers around monitoring changes in health status of particular groups, but monitoring and science are different from conservation^3,6 and will not necessarily, of themselves, do anything to "reform our daily actions" for the good of wild living resources, ecosystems, and humans.

The emerging field of conservation medicine focuses on the intersection of ecosystem, animal, and human health."¹ I challenge health care professionals to consider not simply measuring and monitoring conditions at such critical intersections, but expanding their role to promote conservation by actively seeking solutions. The prescription for success isn't fun as it involves being proactive; having some guts; being creative, imaginative, and opportunistic; communicating broadly to address human values and behaviors; working effectively as a part of an interdisciplinary team; and going far beyond simply seeking more information. The crisis for wildlife and aquatic habitats was not created overnight; nor will it be solved immediately. However, an array of emerging tools and unprecedented partnerships can allow dedicated, knowledgeable and passionate individuals to make an enormous difference in the quality of our world and its inhabitants.

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) emerged at the end of the 20th century in response to increasing worldwide biodiversity loss; the Convention itself was developed to enable the conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from genetic resources.⁷ The year 2010 was declared as the International Year of Biodiversity, reflecting an international commitment to achieve a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss. However noble the commitment was, it failed to achieve its goal.

To be sure, not all biodiversity loss and other conservation issues stem from factors associated with animal health. But some do, either individually or cumulatively and synergistically. Health professionals can and should play a crucial role as parts of interdisciplinary teams that attempt not just to define or monitor conditions, but to mitigate and solve problems. The obstacles to success can be immense; the challenges are unprecedented for professionals who have confined their past work to defining and monitoring. But the need for such endeavors is urgent and the rewards for even modest success exhilarating. What will you do?

Acknowledgements

I thank Drs. Tracy Romano and Frances Gulland for inviting me to present my thoughts and perspectives. I appreciate my many colleagues who have expanded those thoughts and perspectives over the years to focus on solutions, rather than documentation.

Literature Cited

1.  Aguirre AA, Ostfeld RS, Tabor GM, House C, Pearl MC. 2002. Conservation Medicine. Ecological Health in Practice. Oxford University Press: 407p.

2.  Institute of Medicine (US) Forum on Microbial Threats. 2008. Global Climate Change and Extreme Weather Events: Understanding the Contributions to Infectious Disease Emergence: Workshop Summary. 2, Climate, Ecology, and Infectious Disease. Washington, DC: National Academies Press (US). Available from: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK45744

3.  Marsh H, O'Shea TJ, Reynolds JE III. 2011. Ecology and Conservation of the Sirenia: Dugongs and Manatees. Cambridge University Press: 521p.

4.  Pew Oceans Commission. 2003. America's living oceans: charting a course for sea change. available from: www.pewtrusts.org/uploadedFiles/wwwpewtrustsorg/Reports/Protecting_ocean_life/env_pew_oceans_final_report.pdf

5.  Reynolds JE III, Perrin WF, Reeves RR, Ragen TJ, Montgomery S (eds.). 2005. Marine Mammal Research: Conservation Beyond Crisis. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD: 223p. See various chapters.

6.  Reynolds JE III, Marsh H, Ragen TJ. 2009. Marine Mammal Conservation. J Endangered Species Research. 7(1):23–28.

7.  United Nations. 1993. Convention on biological diversity with annexes. Available from: www.cbd.int/convention/text