Needs assessment for national wildlife health programs

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Public Health
• Conservation Biology
• Ecosystem Health

Background:

• Wildlife health programs are crucial for biodiversity, ecosystem stability, economic, and public health.
• Systematic needs assessments ensure wildlife health initiatives are effective and sustainable.
• Identifying programmatic gaps is key to developing and scaling up wildlife health programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate a needs assessment tool for wildlife health programs.
• To identify gaps and set priorities for local and national wildlife health initiatives.
• To enhance the sustainability and impact of wildlife health programs.

Main Methods:

• A four-phase needs assessment process: planning, data gathering (interviews), analysis, and recommendations.
• The tool covers disease detection, information management, and communication components.
• Pilot testing in Thailand and Rwanda assessed usability, adaptability, and stakeholder feedback.

Main Results:

• The needs assessment tool was piloted, providing insights into its performance.
• Stakeholder feedback highlighted usability and adaptability.
• Evidence suggests improvements for prioritizing program gaps based on urgency, impact, and capacity.

Conclusions:

• The needs assessment tool is valuable for identifying priority areas in wildlife health programs.
• Expansion of the tool to include urgency, impact, and capacity will enhance prioritization.
• Optimizing wildlife health programs through this tool can maximize investment impact.