Description

Abstract: The emergence and spread of infectious diseases at the interface of humans, livestock, and wildlife are increasingly recognized as critical issues by health specialists, disease ecologists, conservation biologists, wildlife managers, and protected area managers throughout the world. Addressing the causes and consequences of disease requires investigation of links between various biological, environmental, agricultural and socioeconomic factors that cross disciplines, including at the least epidemiology, veterinary sciences, environmental science, public health, and economics. The Health for Animals and Livelihood Improvement (HALI) project has been designed to investigate these complex issues in the Ruaha landscape of Tanzania. The project uses an integrated approach to understand the drivers of disease transmission across the landscape and to generate preventive measures and interventions. This research brief provides an Overview of the methods used to investigate health and livelihood strategies in pastoral and agropastoral communities near Ruaha National Park. Methods include household surveys and diaries, focus groups, choice modeling, and village economy models. Resulting analysis will estimate the impact of zoonotic diseases and water scarcity on household health and livelihoods across ethnic, economic, and gender groups, and make recommendations to reduce risk of diseases, better manage scarce water resources, and conserve wildlife in the Ruaha Landscape.