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Project title

Managing biodiversity in forests and urban green spaces : Dilution and amplification effects on rodent microbiomes and rodent-borne diseases

Primary Funding Agency

Environmental Protection Agency

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

n/a

Lead Organisation

Institute of Technology Tralee

Lead Applicant

Peter Stuart

Project Abstract

Understanding the relationships between wildlife biodiversity and zoonotic infectious diseases in a changing climate is a challenging issue that scientists must address to support further policy actions. Our project aims at tackling this challenge by focusing on rodent-borne diseases in European temperate forests and large urban green spaces. The originality of this project isto extend previous research into four promising research directions: i) impact of coinfections on epidemiology, ii) interactions between gut microbiome and host susceptibility to infectious agents, iii) influence of socio-economic contexts on human exposure to wildlife and iv) temporal variability of biodiversity/health relationships. Using rodent sampling and a large investigation of zoonotic agents and microbiomes, we will establish an up-to-date, open database and maps of rodent-borne pathogens circulating in western-central European countries. We will apply eco-epidemiological approaches to enhance our understanding of the processes that influence zoonotic pathogen transmission in rodent populations. Overall, we aim to provide proof-of-concept that joint strategies between public health and conservation biology programs can help to prevent emergence of zoonotic pathogens from wildlife. In addition an important outcome will be the improvement of zoonoses prevention policies through dissemination of adapted surveillance, training and awareness campaigns designed with the active participation of stakeholders. Overall, this project should provide proof-of-concept that joint strategies between public health and conservation biology programs can help to prevent emergence of zoonotic pathogens. Outcomes of this project will be relevant for policy and society, and will be transferred to an extended range of stakeholders, including i) up-to-date lists of rodent-borne diseases circulating in temperate forests and urban green spaces of Western-Central Europe, ii) up-to-date maps of rodent-borne disease distribution and their evolution under different climate change scenarios, and iii) predicted disease risk with regard to different conservation management strategies. In addition, this project will highlight how biological conservation programs may be used as a public health tool to control the emergence of new pathogens. While our modelling framework will target Europe, it could also be easily adapted to study pathogen communities in other parts of the world and will allow context-specific evaluation of biological conservation programs on public health outcomes.

Grant Approved

�148,770.00

Research Hub

Natural Environment

Research Theme

Natural capital and ecosystem services including soils and biodiversity

Start Date

03/02/2020

Initial Projected Completion Date

02/02/2023