Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Our Wild World | VoiceAmerica™ | Talk Radio | Online Talk Radio

Our Wild World | VoiceAmerica™ | Talk Radio | Online Talk Radio

Join special guest, Dr. Kathleen Alexander PhD, DVM  Associate Professor in the  Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech and CARACAL Biodiversity Center, Botswana. Dr. Alexander's research work has focused on the intersection between public health and biodiversity looking at linkages between sustainable livelihoods and health of the ecosystems on which we depend. She  has been selected as one of three, African regional experts by World Health Organization and the Convention on Biological Diversity secretariat to participate in a regional workshop in Mozambique to present to national health and biodiversity experts from various African countries on integrating health and biodiversity into policy and planning. The objective is to "contribute to the implementation of the Convention on the Biological Diversity in the WHO African Region, by providing a forum to national health and environment/biodiversity experts from African Parties to the CBD on actions to be taken in their respective countries".  We will discuss the complexities and importance of biodiversity conservation and the need to incorporate broader vision into dialogue and practical applications.  LINKS: http://fishwild.vt.edu/faculty/alexander.htm  www.Facebook.com/caracalbotswana, www.caracal.info, www.blogspot.healthbotswana.com
Together with Dr. Vandewalle and Mr. Sutcliffe, Dr. Alexander provides certificates of completion to youth graduating from the research internship program in the study site. In this program operated under the NSF project in collaboration with CARACAL (www.caracal.info), youth from the Botswana Youth Council conduct research with VT graduate and undergraduate students and VT/CARACAL staff. This program is run in collaboration with the Chobe Safari Lodge. Students receive hands on training in hospitality and service skills  and wildlife disease research. Botswana youth are unemployed and unoccupied, a chronic problem recognized by the Government of Botswana. The Botswana Youth Council was established by Government  to provide a source of communication, training, and opportunity for youth. Our program works in collaboration with the Council, providing  training that will facilitate future employment. The program is also designed to inspire Batswana youth to see the value and to motivate interest in science and discovery. Increasing participation and professional development of citizens in coupled human - environment research is an important first step in realizing real and lasting impact.The program is also designed to instill an ethic of service and outreach in Virginia Tech students working under the NSF program. Our Botswana youth program provides importantly for both Batswana and American youth as we seek to identify leadership in sustainability and successful management of the ecosystems on which we depend.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

The team works hard to gather data regarding the occurrence of antibiotic resistance in the human population as they work closely with the hospital staff. Data are compared to our environmental microbial resistance assessments.  Human health is linked in complex ways to the health of the ecosystem. Understanding the linkages connecting humans and the natural environment is key to identifying ways to manage these systems in a holistic manner.



Dr Jobbins (above), post doctoral associate in Dr. Alexander's lab, presents project findings on antibiotic resistance, her work on transmission of microorganisms across the landscape is providing important insight into the manner in which humans and the environment are linked and how these linkages affect the health of both wildlife and humans.
Development in the wetlands area is moving forward. A new extension on the airport is intended to increase international traffic to this sensitive but beautiful area. Here, Dr. Vandewalle, project collaborator and Dr. Alexander give a talk to a new workforce clearing areas in the new development area. The focus of the talk is on safety but also on the need to be sensitive to wildlife and the environment even as we develop the landscape- to seek balance, a difficult and infrequently achieved goal. The group here are fascinated with the Anchieta's cobra - they are eager to learn how to avoid close encounters of the snake kind while working on this development project.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Climate change and water

Climate can influence the connections between humans and the natural environment. Water is one important and all encompassing connection that is strongly influenced by hydrological forces such as rainfall and flooding. Human health can be dramatically influenced by water quality and exposure to pathogens - of animal and human origin, the magnitude of which appears to be linked to climatic factors. Climate change is likely also to severely limit water availability in arid countries like Botswana. Our work is focused on understanding these linkages and preparing for change!