Livestock expansion is a factor in global pandemics

Date:
July 24, 2020
Source:
CNRS
Summary:
A new study looks at the growth of global livestock farming and
the threat to biodiversity, and the health risks to both humans
and domesticated animals.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
The growth of global livestock farming is a threat to our biodiversity
and also increases the health risks to both humans and domesticated
animals. The patterns that link them are at the heart of a study
published in Biological Conservation by a scientist from the Institute
of Evolution Sciences of Montpellier (ISEM -- CNRS/Universite' de Montpellier/IRD/EPHE) and the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development's (CIRAD) ASTRE laboratory.


========================================================================== Research has shown a global increase in the emergence of infectious
diseases and epidemics, an accelerated loss of biodiversity and a
marked increase in the breeding of domesticated animals. This subject
was brought back to the fore by the COVID-19 outbreak and a new study
in parasite ecology is providing some initial answers to the ongoing
question of whether these events are connected.

Its goal was to trace the global patterns of biodiversity and infectious diseases both spatially and temporally.

To achieve this, the researcher cross referenced various open databases1
on human and animal health, livestock expansion and biodiversity loss. An initial analysis showed that the number of epidemics identified in
humans in each country increased in correlation with local biodiversity
loss (16,994 epidemics caused by 254 infectious diseases between
1960-2019). The emergence of epidemics is a worrying sign for the future
of species conservation as it could well signal biodiversity's march
towards extinction. The relation between the number of endangered species
and the number of epidemics first increases, then peaks, before finally declining. However, the risk of an epidemic does not decrease with the disappearance of a species, but on the contrary, is further relayed by
the growing number of head of cattle. Data from 2006-2019 confirms this
second result placing it at the heart of a potential health risk.

Livestock expansion worldwide directly affects wildlife as well as the incidence of epidemics in humans and in domesticated animals.

The study brings up the question of the place of farmed animals and their increase across the world, which varies according to factors such as
human demographics and diet. In order to lower the health risk and protect biodiversity we need to take into account the cultural value of animals to reflect on the place of both wild and domesticated species. Future studies
will examine the role played by livestock in pandemics by looking at,
on the one hand, the cultivation of vegetable protein needed for feed,
which contributes to reduce the space for wild animals, and on the other,
on the role of livestock as an epidemiological bridge between wildlife
and humans facilitating the transmission of pathogens.

Note 1. The Global Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology Online Network
(GIDEON) was used for data on human epidemics, the World Organisation
for Animal Health was used for data on animal epidemics, the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations was used for data on
livestock production, and the International Union for Conservation of
Nature was used for data on biodiversity and endangered species.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by CNRS. Note: Content may be edited
for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Serge Morand. Emerging diseases, livestock expansion and
biodiversity
loss are positively related at global scale. Biological
Conservation, 2020; 248: 108707 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108707 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200724104144.htm

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