Abstract

Conservation medicine examines the interactions between pathogens and disease and their linkages with the interactions that occur between species and ecosystems. Thus, it focuses on the study of the ecological context of health and the remediation of ecological health problems. In response to the growing health implications of environmental degradation, conservation medicine includes examining the linkages among change in climate, habitat quality, and contaminants; and maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem functions as they sustain land use; emergence and re-emergence of infectious agents, parasites, and the environmental health of plant and animal communities, including humans. A conservation Medicine approach involving many parties including human and animal health professionals, ecologists, modelers and others would help provide comprehensive, coordinated, and cohesive strategies in addressing this immense threat.