Balancing Livestock Production and Wildlife Conservation in and around Southern Africa's Transfrontier Conservation Areas

Abstract

Biodiversity conservation, of which the transfrontier conservation area movement is an integral part, and more effective livestock production/trade are pivotal to future rural development in southern Africa. For that reason it is imperative to effectively ameliorate the obstacles that have impeded progress towards the co-existence of these two imperatives for more than half a century. Transboundary animal diseases, foot and mouth disease in particular, have been and continue to be the most important of these obstacles. Fortunately, new developments in international sanitary standards applicable to trade in commodities and products derived from animals are beginning to make a solution possible. However, while progress in principle has been achieved, practical implementation remains problematic for technical reasons, exacerbated by inconsistent attitudes towards acceptance of nontraditional international trade standards. This paper describes the background to this situation, progress that has been achieved in the recent past and remaining difficulties that need to be overcome to advance towards achievement of balanced rural development in southern Africa.

Transmission of foot and mouth disease at the wildlife/livestock interface of the Kruger National Park, South Africa: Can the risk be mitigated?

“…During the late 1980's and 1990's in South Africa, this challenge was met through the production of vaccines synthesized from strains collected directly from KNP buffalo populations, which ensured better matching and protection of cattle against potential exposure of FMDV strains circulating at the interface. This measure, combined with a good prevention of wildlife/cattle physical contacts, resulted in successful control of FMD, confirmed by absence limited number of reported FMD outbreaks during that period (Thomson et al, 2013a) an is confirmed by other model.…”

“…This results in commercial vaccines that are less efficient against circulating strains than those used a decade ago (Thomson et al, 2013a), undoubtedly contributing to FMD re-emergence in the Southern African region. In our model, since data on the efficiency of vaccines was not available, we simplified this issue by assuming that the vaccine was 100% efficient, and used the rate of vaccination coverage in the herd as a proxy of vaccine efficiency.…”

“…This progressive deterioration in the control of the disease also seems to be the trend in other countries in the region, with devastating economic losses for the beef industry and limited prospects for reverting the situation in the mid term. In addition, the increasing development of transfrontier conservation areas (TFCA's) in southern Africa will facilitate more contacts between buffalo and cattle and complicate attempts to reduce the number of FMD outbreaks (Tekleghiorghis et al, 2014;Thomson et al, 2013a). This situation justifies the need to explore alternative solutions to the problem.…”

“…During the last decades of the 20 th century, the implementation of specific control measures in exporting countries in the region, such as veterinary cordon fences and regular vaccination of cattle herds exposed to buffalo contacts, has managed to limit the occurrence of the disease in the region to less than one outbreak per decade. However, since 2000, the region has been experiencing a serious re-emergence of the disease (Baipoledi et al, 2004;Jori et al, 2009;Thomson et al, 2013a), with a frequency of at least one outbreak per year in areas where the disease was previously under control.…”

African Buffalo Movement and Zoonotic Disease Risk across Transfrontier Conservation Areas, Southern Africa

“…ince the early 2000s in southern Africa, Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) have been created to promote biodiversity conservation and local development (1). Increased connectivity between protected areas is designed to promote wildlife movement, ecosystem functioning, and genetic exchange and lead to increased wildlife populations, which should benefit communities living in these areas (e.g., through tourism and sustainable use of natural resources).…”