Final Report
Wildlife species are of critical ecological and socio-economic and importance in Polar Regions, yet in the current context of global change they are experiencing increasing health challenges and the persistence of many species is uncertain. A better understanding of wildlife health status, including the diversity of pathogens and ecology of infectious and non-infectious diseases (e.g., toxins, immunity, and stress), is critical in order to anticipate, manage, and mitigate wildlife health issues at the poles. This workshop aimed to identify key scientific knowledge gaps in wildlife health and disease and to foster new research initiatives and collaborations at the interface between ecology and diseases in Polar Regions.
The importance of setting up carefully designed monitoring programs and of studies focusing on wild animal systems of particular relevance in the context of global change was identified. In this context, some particularities of polar host-parasite systems were outlined, such as the relatively simple species composition of their communities, their strong spatial structure and seasonality, and the fact that they are the subject of dramatic climate change effects. Issues linked to human health and human activities at the interface with wildlife were also identified as a future priority. It was decided to pursue interactions on these topics by the future organization of a workshop in 2020 and the writing up of a synthesis paper on the topic.
Highlights
- Identification of key topics of broad interest in the current context of global change, notably the importance of considering host and parasite ecology and the role of interactions with human activities.
- Contributions to protocols and methodologies to address monitoring of polar wildlife health issues.
- Strengthening of the relationships between the Arctic and Antarctic/sub-Antarctic wildlife disease research communities to work on polar wildlife health questions.
Workshop Materials
Date and Location:
9 - 11 October 2018 & 19 - 23 June 2018 | Rovaniemi (Finland) & Davos (Switzerland)
IASC Working Group / Committees funding the Project:
- Terrestrial WG
Project Lead
Year funded by IASC
2017
Project Status
Completed