Trade-offs between wildlife conservation and human health and well-being in Côte d’Ivoire

What contribution does the wildlife sector make to human health wellbeing?

This key question was addressed and discussed with researchers from the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire (CSRS) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), in partnership with Afrique One and wildlife stakeholders in Côte d’Ivoire.

Discussions focused on the preliminary findings of the Wildlife and Nutrition for Health project. The project is part of the CGIAR Initiative on One Health whose objective, according to Hung Nguyen-Viet of ILRI, is to protect human health by improving the detection, prevention, and control of zoonotic diseases, food-related diseases, and antimicrobial resistance.

“The fact that a significant percentage (60–70%) of human diseases have an animal origin and with the potential of new pandemics, special attention was paid to wild animals and their interactions with humans. The project aims to understand the challenges of wildlife conservation and the social and nutritional determinants of bush meat consumption in the Ivorian context,” said Arlette Dindé, Afrique One postdoctoral fellow at CSRS.

Read the full story on the Afrique One website and a related story (in French).

Photo: Liana bridge at Vatouo, Côte d’Ivoire (Carsten ten Brink)