The Crucial Contribution of Veterinarians to Conservation Biology

Conservation biology is a relatively new (began in the 1980s), value-based discipline predicated on the belief that biological diversity—from genes to populations to species to communities to ecosystems—is good and extinction is bad. Conservation biology grew from the recognition that the Earth has entered its sixth great extinction event, one that differs from previous great extinctions in that a single species—Homo sapiens—has caused this biodiversity crisis. A diverse, interacting set of variables drive current extinctions. As such, to succeed, conservation efforts usually require broad-based, interdisciplinary approaches. Conservationists increasingly recognize the importance of contributions by veterinary science, among many other disciplines, to collaborative efforts aimed at stemming the loss of biodiversity.We argue that, to improve success rates, many wildlife conservation programs must incorporate veterinarians as part of an interdisciplinary team to assess and address problems. Ideally, veterinarians who participate in conservation would receive specialized training and be willing to work as partners as part of a larger team of experts who effectively integrate their work rather than work independently (i.e., work as interdisciplinary, as opposed to multidisciplinary, teams, respectively). In our opinion, the most successful and productive projects involve interdisciplinary teams involving both biological and nonbiological specialists. Some researchers hold...

Source: Topics in Companion Animal Medicine - November 1, 2013 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Richard P. Reading, David E. Kenny, Kevin T. Fitzgerald Tags: Topical Reviews Source Type: research