World Bank discusses livestock, Part 3: Preventing disease, protecting livelihoods

Last week's World Bank workshop on livestock's "long shadow" brought together a diverse crowd. In addition to Bank staff, U.N. representatives, animal welfare activists, and environmental NGOs, Dr. Steve Osofsky from the Wildlife Conservation Society spoke to the group. But why would a conservation organization be interested in livestock? There's probably no place on Earth where livestock are more important to human health, the environment, and people's livelihoods than Africa. And there’s no other continent that has the same level of poverty and public health problems. According to Osofsky, managing the health of livestock, of the environment (including wildlife), and of people go hand in hand.

Dr. Osofsky coordinates the Wildlife Conservation Society's AHEAD initiative (Animal Health for the Environment And Development) and believes that disease—and how it is managed in the context of land-use—is an important component of livestock’s "shadow.” At least 70 percent of human diseases are zoonotic in nature, meaning they can spread from animals to humans. The most recent (and highly publicized) example of this is avian flu, which has killed 187 people since 2003. As meat consumption rises, particularly in the developing world, protecting the health of livestock, of people, and of wildlife becomes even more critical.

As Osofsky notes, " In many parts of the world, land-use choices are often driven by government incentives or subsidies that can favor unsustainable agricultural practices over more ecologically sound natural resource management schemes." In semi-arid parts of southern Africa, for example, foot-and-mouth disease control programs, implemented to support beef production for export, may not be as profitable—or environmentally sustainable—as a return to multi-use natural systems emphasizing native wildlife species. In other words, raising livestock for domestic purposes, rather than for export, and finding ways for herders and others to also make a living from conservation practices, can be a better way to ensure that livestock, the environment, and public health are all protected. Livelihood opportunities related to livestock and wildlife combined provide a more diversified and thus robust income “portfolio” in the face of uncertainty.

"Clearly," says Osofsky, "animal health issues—and their implications for human health and livelihoods—must be addressed by any regional agricultural or natural resources management strategies if they are to succeed. As we look around the world, impacts from interactions between livestock and wildlife (and habitat) are often profound." Addressing these interactions requires recognizing livestock's impacts on ecosystems as well as the vital roles livestock play in people’s livelihoods and food security—not as simply an economic resource or a nuisance to wildlife.