If there’s one field of research that speaks to humanity’s relationship with the natural world, it’s the interface between wildlife and health. Human alteration of the planet through deforestation, climate change, our globalized food system, and the legal and illegal wildlife trade has brought people, livestock and wildlife into unprecedented proximity, risking disease emergence and transmission that not only imperils human populations, but can also hasten the demise of threatened wildlife species. The scope of study at this vital nexus received a big boost recently when Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine announced a gift of $35 million to support the Cornell Wildlife Health Center, a program founded in 2020 to address wildlife conservation challenges through a multidisciplinary approach centered around the One Health principle. One Health recognizes that human health, animal health and the health of the planet are inextricably linked. With the well-being of each component crucial to the health of all, environmental stewardship underpins the approach. “So many conservation challenges are, in fact, One Health challenges,” Steven Osofsky, a professor of wildlife health and health policy at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, told Mongabay in an email. The new fund, announced Jan. 30, represents the largest ever donation to the program, which has been renamed to the Cornell K. Lisa Yang Center for Wildlife Health in recognition of the scale of commitment to planetary health from the donor, K. Lisa Yang, who is also a member of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Administrative Board and on…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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