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Revisiting Human-Wildlife Conflict Through a One Health Lens
Cuiping Liu1, Yanjun Kuang2, Jianglin Lu1
1Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology, College of Forestry, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, China.
Integrative Zoology
|July 23, 2026
Summary
Global change increases human-wildlife contact, facilitating the exchange of microbes and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). This raises the risk of zoonotic diseases and widespread antibiotic resistance.
Area of Science:
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- Microbiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Global change drivers (climate change, agriculture, urbanization) are increasing human-wildlife interactions.
- Humans and wildlife serve as reservoirs for microbiota, pathogens, and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs).
- Increased contact intensifies human-wildlife conflict (HWC), creating opportunities for cross-species microbial exchange.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore how global change and HWC facilitate the exchange of microbiota, pathogens, and ARGs between humans and wildlife.
- To understand the role of microbiota in mediating cross-species transmission.
- To assess the elevated risks of zoonotic diseases and antibiotic resistance.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on global change impacts on HWC.
- Analysis of microbial and genetic exchange pathways between wildlife and human populations.
- Assessment of ecological and public health implications.
Main Results:
- Global change drivers significantly increase human-wildlife contact and conflict.
- Microbiota act as crucial mediators in the transmission of pathogens and ARGs across species.
- The exchange links pathogen and resistome reservoirs between wildlife and human systems.
Conclusions:
- Human-wildlife interactions driven by global change pose significant risks for public health.
- Understanding microbial exchange is critical for mitigating zoonotic disease emergence and antibiotic resistance.
- Interdisciplinary approaches are needed to address the complex interplay between environmental change and health security.
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