Sustaining animal health and ecosystem services in large landscapes

Wildlife tourism and livestock production are economic activities suited to the marginal lands of the semi-arid and arid regions of southern Africa. To capitalize on these activities and manage them across transnational boundaries, some Transfrontier Conservation Areas have been established and others have been proposed. This concept paper presents a research and development program that would address the need to control animal diseases and preserve animal health in the Transfrontier Conservation Areas of southern Africa, particularly the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area. The program would also address the link between ecosystem health, animal health, and community economic health, and the need for integrated involvement at the local, national, and regional levels.