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By S. A. Osofsky, S. Cleaveland, W. B. Karesh, M. D. Kock, P. J. Nyhus, L. Starr, and A. Yang, editors, IUCN Occasional Paper of the Species Survival Commission 30, IUCN Publications Services Unit, 219c Huntington Rd. Cambridge, CB3 0DL United Kingdom. 220 pp. ISBN 2-8317-0864-8. UK £20.

This publication is a result of a joint effort between The Wildlife Conservation Society, the IUCN Species Survival Commission Veterinary Specialist Group, and other partners to launch an ambitious project in Eastern and Southern Africa to address the enormous challenge Africa faces at the wildlife, domestic livestock, and human health interface. It is a result of a meeting in Africa of experts from around the world at the launch of the Animal Health for the Environment and Development project by the partners.

As domestic and wild animals come into greater contact with each other, new methods of addressing the planning and consequences of the interplay of disease agents are needed. The grassroots ideas found in this publication present some innovative ways to address critical long-term ecological and sociopolitical aspects of the interface between domestic livestock and wild animals.

The various papers reproduced in this book cover several themes related to wildlife, livestock agriculture, and cultural aspects of native peoples who live where the animals occur. It also provides examples of the role that animal health plays in conservation and economic development. These roles include disease transmission, food production, zoonoses, overgrazing, water use competition, and other potential conflicts between man and animal. All of these issues must be addressed in the decision-making process of citizens, not only in Africa, but around the world, as more and more humans encroach on wildlife habitat to provide food and fiber for the world’s populations.

Several diseases of importance in Africa, such as rinderpest, foot-and-mouth, bovine tuberculosis, and others are covered in individual chapters, as are progressive programs aimed at addressing the problems presented by these diseases. Transboundary efforts, maintaining ecological integrity of protected areas, control options, surveillance, land use options, and community programs all get their play in this publication. The emphasis is on pastoral livestock production and maintaining ecosystem integrity while providing for the development of economically progressive programs for native peoples, without forcing major cultural changes on their lifestyle. This approach has long been lacking in major efforts to conserve wildlife and is a breath of fresh air to this reviewer as scientists are acknowledging the importance of involving the local cultures in wildlife conservation programs.

It is logical that such an important and innovative program and this companion publication would concentrate on Africa, where animal health policies will have a major impact on the entire continent’s biotic landscape. Land use choices that benefit wildlife, livestock production, and native peoples can be made and implemented if governments acknowledge the importance of local involvement and use the culture of the natives to help drive decisions. The benefits from a long-term commitment to coalesce all aspects of the use of the ecosystem into decisions that impact wildlife, livestock, and people will benefit the wildlife much more than will conflict management and forced conservation programs. Once this approach has proven itself in Africa, it is hoped that scientists from around the world will adapt the approach to ensure sound ecosystems on all continents in the future, as we must adapt our management style to fit the situation as the world population and the ever-increasing interface between wild and domestic animals grow. All users of the land must work toward peaceful cooperation to conserve the biologic diversity of the landscape and the papers in these proceedings make this clear, as well as advancing ideas on how to achieve this desired state of effort.

The chapters are written for a professional audience, but a companion publication by the Wildlife Conservation Society, "Animal Health Matters: Improving the Health of Wild and Domestic Animals to Enhance Long-Term Development Success in USAID-Assisted Countries" steps down the information for developers and others involved in the decision making that will produce long-term impact on the African ecosystem. Professionals from other walks of life such as human health specialists, environmental contaminant scientists, agriculture specialists, human dimensions experts, and others will benefit from this publication as much as the wildlife professional.

I recommend this publication to anyone working in the wildlife health field as a resource for stimulating thinking toward a new paradigm at the wildlife/livestock/human interface.

Edited by Charles van Riper III, charles_van_riper{at}usgs.gov

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