Wildlife disease ecology: from theory to policy

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Despite advances in the modelling and statistical analysis of infections of wildlife, there was a general consensus at the workshop that the gap between theory and solid experimental evidence had widened over the past five years. For example, there are still very few examples where the regulation of a host population by parasites has been convincingly demonstrated. Perhaps the best experiment to date that illustrates host regulation in the wild was presented at the workshop by Dave Newborn (Game Conservancy Trust, Gunnerside, UK). He showed that the cyclic crashes of red grouse could be prevented by removing their gastrointestinal nematodes using anthelminthic treatment, clearly demonstrating that parasites are the driving force behind the cycles.The workshop ended with a series of `visions', designed to provide direction for host–parasite research over the next five years. Perhaps the most notable of these was presented by Andrew Read on genetics and evolution, who commented that the checklist for future evolutionary research that was provided at the end of the 1993 meeting[4xSee all References[4]still largely holds today. This list contained elements, such as determining the epidemiological consequences of genetic variation, where remarkably little progress has been made over the past five years. Angela McLean (Institute of Animal Health, Compton, UK) pointed out that many of the genetic and immunological techniques required for such studies have already been developed; they are just not yet being used by epidemiologists and evolutionary ecologists.Final comments at the workshop concerned the role of ecology in the new millenium. Andy Dobson's view was that whereas the physical sciences took the lead role in solving many of the major problems of the 20th century, the biological sciences will be far more important in addressing the environmental threats facing us in the next century. From a wildlife disease perspective, continually increasing levels of global movement will invariably lead to greater disease transmission both within and between host species. Climate change could also lead to a general increase and spread of pathogens into new areas, as environmental conditions become more favourable for disease transmission. Extinctions caused by disease will serve only to exacerbate reductions in biological diversity (arguably the most irreplaceable of global resources), alter ecosystem functioning, and have profound evolutionary consequences for the communities involved. Given that these future problems are too complex for simple politics, increasing education of the policy makers and the public would seem a logical priority.