AHEAD Update – July 2008Dear AHEAD Colleagues: *I should again note that if you wish to be removed from this e-mail list please just let me know. My hope is to keep parties interested in Animal Health for the Environment And Development up-to-date on developments post-Durban World Parks Congress over time, but I certainly understand if anyone wants to opt out of receiving such messages. Updates are also posted (and archived) on the AHEAD website at www.wcs-ahead.org. Please note that URL hotlinks for many of the organizations mentioned below can be found at http://www.wcs-ahead.org/links.html. News on potential funding opportunities appears towards the end of this Update. If you would like to post an item in the next AHEAD Update, please just send it to me- thanks! And please let me know how the new format looks on your computer, or if you prefer the more basic AHEAD Update format.
*Minutes for the Eighth Meeting of the AHEAD-GLTFCA
Working Group– March 5–7, 2008, Ingwenyama Conference
and Sport Resort, White River, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa are
now posted in downloadable PDF at http://www.wcs-ahead.org/workinggrps_limpopo.html,
and are being circulated to the Working Group. PDFs of most of
the Powerpoint presentations from the diverse agenda are also now available
online via the Great Limpopo Working Group's homepage (http://www.wcs-ahead.org/workinggrps_limpopo.html),
by clicking on the "Agenda
of the Eighth Meeting of the AHEAD-GLTFCA Working Group" link
(http://www.wcs-ahead.org/gltfca_march2008/agenda_march2008.htm). *Proceedings available from April 2008 Steps Centre forum, "Transboundary animal disease and market access: future options for the beef industry in southern Africa." How can Africa benefit from the global ‘livestock revolution’? What options exist for trade given changes in market demand, entry requirements and trade preferences? What veterinary and food safety standards are required for different trade options? What does this imply for disease control and management of transboundary diseases such as foot and mouth? Who are the winners and losers of different scenarios for the future? These are just some of the questions that policymakers in southern Africa – and beyond – are dealing with. Do the new conditions of trade and market access and disease dynamics, particularly of foot and mouth disease, suggest new options must be sought for the beef industry? More details on the project, together with the full workshop report, other briefing papers, workshop powerpoint presentations, and multi-media coverage are available at http://www.steps-centre.org/ourresearch/vetscience.html. For additional information, please contact Ian Scoones I.Scoones@ids.ac.uk.
* A collaboration study on Options
for Pastoralists to Secure their Livelihoods in Tanzania (PDF link) has
now been completed. The case studies present options
for pastoralist livelihoods in terms of current state policies, legal
status and economic prospects covering the following topics (all
are PDF links): *New bovine tuberculosis paper of comparative
interest- Rodwell TC, Moore M, Moser KS, Brodine SK, Strathdee
SA. Mycobacterium bovis tuberculosis in binational communities. Emerg
Infect Dis [serial on the Internet] 2008 June. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/eid/content/14/6/909.htm * New COMACO (Community Markets for Conservation) e-News subscription available (free!)- http://www.itswild.org/newsletter/subscribe. The Wildlife Conservation Society has made a long-term commitment to understanding the challenges of reconciling human needs and addressing conflicts around protected areas in Zambia's Luangwa Valley. In just over five years and with support from the World Food Program, the Royal Norwegian Embassy, and other partners, COMACO has demonstrated the important linkages between improved levels of food security and income for over 40,000 families, and the voluntary reduction in illegal hunting and snaring of wildlife. WCS believes COMACO represents an important contribution to future strategies for conserving wildlife and wild places in many parts of Africa and has created a specific website, http://www.itswild.org, to share information about this program and its operations. COMACO and AHEAD are currently collaborating, for example, with the International Rural Poultry Center (IRPC) of the KYEEMA Foundation and Cornell University to improve village poultry health to contribute to food security while simultaneously diminishing demand for illegal game meat. *The publisher of the classic Where There
is No Doctor has just published A Community Guide to Environmental
Health, and the entire book or individual chapters
can be downloaded at: http://www.hesperian.org/publications_download_EHB.php. *Africa: Atlas of Our Changing Environment is now available - This stunning 390-page Africa: Atlas of our Changing Environment is a unique and powerful publication which brings to light stories of environmental change at 104 locations spread across every country in Africa. There are 316 satellite images, 319 ground photographs and 151 maps, along with informative graphs and charts that give a vivid visual portrayal of Africa and its changing environment. Using current and historical satellite images, the Atlas provides scientific evidence of the impact that natural and human activities have had on the continent’s environment over the past several decades. The observations and measurements of environmental change illustrated in this Atlas help gauge the extent of progress made by African countries towards reaching the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals. More importantly, this book contributes to the knowledge and understanding that are essential for adaptation and remediation. This UNEP publication was produced in cooperation with a number of organizations in Africa and the United States and released at the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) meeting in Johannesburg on 10 June 2008. The Atlas is available in both English and French. For more information and free download go to: http://www.na.unep.net/AfricaAtlas/. *New journal seeks submissions- Transboundary
and Emerging Diseases brings together
the latest research on infectious animal diseases considered to
represent the greatest threats to animals worldwide. The journal
provides a venue for global research on diagnosis, prevention and
management, and for papers on veterinary public health, pathogenesis,
epidemiology, statistical modeling, diagnostics, biosecurity issues,
genomics, vaccine development and rapid communication of new outbreaks. This
international journal will be of vital interest to scientists and
practitioners working in the field of infectious diseases, including
veterinarians, animal scientists, agricultural scientists, policy
makers, wildlife workers, the public health community, and conservationists.
For more information and online submission options, please see:
*Southern African Wildlife College offers "Introduction
to GIS- Applications for Wildlife Management." August
25-31: Introduction to GIS, processes and techniques for presentation,
cartography and mapping, GIS/GPS capturing and remote sensing data,
GIS as a conservation application. Course participants must be fully
computer literate and familiar with the Microsoft Operating Systems
and Office Suite. For more details (and information on other courses),
see *International EcoHealth Forum 2008: 2nd
Biennial Conference of the International Association for Ecology & Health,
December 2008- AHEAD collaborating
institutions / individuals are encouraged to participate- see
Funding: CGIAR presents African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) Fellowships - Round One Fellowship Announcement AWARD Fellowship Announcement (round one)- Available to women agricultural
scientists from: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria,
Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia
The Darwin Initiative offers funds to encourage the sharing of UK biodiversity expertise with local partners in countries with a wealth of biodiversity, but who lack the means to protect these resources and to assist in meeting their CBD commitments. Since its launch in 1992, the Darwin Initiative has committed more than £65 million in funding for 490 main projects and post projects. In addition, 19 Darwin Fellowships have been awarded and over 100 small grants have allowed UK applicants to travel to meet and develop applications in collaboration with host country partners. The deadline for Stage 1 applications: 15 August 2008. Having focused on supporting projects to achieve their CBD commitments,
the Darwin Initiative is now being extended to include the Convention
on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the Convention on Migratory
Species (CMS or the Bonn Convention). There will also be a shift of focus
to encourage projects to adopt an ecosystem-based approach to conservation
(where relevant and applicable) and, in addition, the Darwin Initiative
will also be particularly welcoming projects relating to the UK's Overseas
Territories. Defra is now inviting applications from UK institutions
for support for main projects and post projects to commence from April
2009. Please note that the process for full project applications
will be carried out in two stages. Only those applicants successful at
Stage 1 will be asked to continue to Stage 2. Please ensure that you
read the guidance carefully and complete the forms accordingly - word
counts and provision of supporting documentation will be strictly enforced. If you have items for the next AHEAD Update, please just let me know – thanks. All the best, Steve |