“Together is how we need to move forward. It’s time we start coming together with all our expertise.”
It has been a whirlwind of a month for conservation and progress in global health! Earlier this month, I was honored to attend and speak at “Stockholm50”, an international meeting held by the United Nations Development Program to accelerate global sustainability goals. It was VI’s biggest audience to date, with 10 million viewers tuning in! An important takeaway from this caucus is the need to protect biodiversity at the same rate we are tackling pollution and climate change by investing in environmental programs.
Biodiversity and Health
As you may be aware, humans and livestock now make up 96% of all the mammals on our planet. This places extreme ecological pressure on habitats and wildlife, resulting in unnatural interactions and conflict with humans at a higher rate than ever before.
Humans, domesticated animals and wildlife are all competing for the same resources: food, water, and a place to live. Action and organization must be taken to meet the future demands of our environment.
Veterinarians are strategically positioned to meet these demands. Veterinarians help limit disease spread by keeping domestic animals healthy (as they increasingly interact with wildlife), intervene with wildlife emergencies, and educate the public on healthy human-animal interactions. With interactions between humans and wildlife on the rise, support for veterinarian services will only become more necessary to ensure global environmental security.
