Assessment and mitigation processes for disease risks associated with wildlife management and conservation...

Area of Science:

• Veterinary epidemiology
• Wildlife disease ecology
• Conservation science

Background:

• Wildlife interventions require robust disease risk assessment to prevent pathogen transmission.
• Existing procedures may not be practical or proportionate for diverse conservation activities.
• England's wildlife legislation mandates risk management for interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a new disease risk assessment procedure for wildlife and conservation interventions in England.
• To develop a simple risk algorithm for identifying and prioritizing high-concern procedures.
• To ensure the implemented system is practicable, proportionate, and economically viable.

Main Methods:

• Development of a simple risk algorithm.
• Application of the algorithm to prioritize conservation intervention procedures.
• Evaluation of the procedure's practicability, proportionality, and cost-effectiveness.

Main Results:

• A straightforward risk algorithm was successfully developed.
• The procedure effectively identifies and prioritizes disease risks associated with wildlife interventions.
• The system is designed to be implementable within existing wildlife legislation frameworks.

Conclusions:

• The described disease risk assessment procedure offers a practical and proportionate approach for wildlife conservation in England.
• The developed algorithm aids in prioritizing interventions, mitigating disease risks effectively.
• This system supports compliance with wildlife legislation while ensuring the viability of conservation activities.