Network for Evaluation of One Health

Category: Front Page News

  • ‘Mission possible’ to preserve wetlands in Spain

    Saving water thanks to decision support tools

    In 2009 the wetlands almost dried out, causing fires and deterring birds from staying in the area. This critical point led WWF Spain to launch the project Misión Posible (literally ‘a possible mission’) in cooperation with a major private investor. The project aimed to help farmers in the area to save water by providing them with three innovative decision support tools. These tools would help them to decide on how to use the available water resources to their advantage whilst ensuring enough supply to the wetlands.

    These tools were:

    • ACUAS: is a software tool that advises farmers on which crop to grow depending on the amount of legally available water by plotting and defining the suitable crop area in accordance with the crop type selected by the farmer and the annual Water Permit he has for each plot.
    • SITAR: is a software tool that helps the farmer to optimise his water allocation by providing easy access to official irrigation recommendations based on several parameters (e.g.. the irrigation system efficiency, the phenology of the crop, soil characteristics, etc.). The tool translates this information into irrigation data for the farmer, such as the watering duration in hours/minutes for each crop in a given period. This information is then sent to the farmers by an SMS message.
    • OPTIWINE: is a methodology that estimates the exact amount of water to apply to vineyards so as to improve grape quality whilst reducing water consumption. These calculations are made taking into account both satellite data and data gathered by sensors (weather, soil and plant data) installed on plots. Farmers can consult the watering recommendations on their phones and technicians are also available to answer their questions directly.

    WWF Spain is leading the project and coordinated the development of the tools by SERYSOL (ACUAS), CSIC-Ministry of Innovation and Industry, Spain (SITAR) and ALIARA (OPTIWINE). In addition, the project technicians carried out and supported the assessments with the tools among the local farmers. The collaboration of Daimiel and Manzanares Irrigation Communities in the project was particularly important. Up to another eleven Irrigation Communities have also taken part on the dissemination of the tools in the region.

    Read more at: http://ec.europa.eu/eip/agriculture/en/news/inspirational-ideas-mission-possible-preserve-wetlands-spain

  • One Health Radio Program

    NEOH Management Committe member Simon Ruegg  took part in a radio program on One Health which was broadcast on Swiss National Radio on Sunday 7th Febuary 2016

    Monsieur Jardinier is broadcast every Sunday morning , when a team of gardeners , veterinarians, biologists and nature lovers come to their studios . They have neither shears nor watering can in hand, but they handle the microphone and telephone. Once a month, veterinarians are invited in to talk about common conditions in pets (such as behavioural problems, diabetes etc). The public can call into the program to ask questions on air.

    On Sunday 7th February, the theme of the program was One Health.

    • We were able to show parallels between the way we tackle bovine TB in cattle and a current emerging disease in olive trees.
    • We talked about diversity as a determinant of health not only in ecosystems, gardens or ponds, but also the diversity of behaviour, of movement, of nutrition and of thought as an indicator for welfare in animals and people.
    • We illustrated possible links between plastic bags as breeding sites for mosquitoes and the emergence of Zika virus in Brazil (as was demonstrated for malaria in Tanzania), and talked about the threats neonicotinoids are posing to our food security.

    Overall, it was a great program with lots of exchange between the vets and the gardeners, a report on swimming with dolphins and a visit to a home for older people that has pets as collaborators.

    To listen to the program in French, please follow the link to the podcast: http://www.rts.ch/audio/la-1ere/programmes/monsieur-jardinier/7439021-monsieur-jardinier-07-02-2016.html

     

  • Environmental Performance Index report

    The latest Environmental Performance Index report has been released and can be found at:
    http://epi.yale.edu/reports/2016-report

    The EPI Report presents the latest environmental metrics and data to signal policymakers on where to improve performance.

    Key Findings:

    1. The world is making progress addressing some environmental issues while others have worsened considerably.
    2. Economic development leads to improvement in some environmental areas, yet development is also associated with increased prevalence of environmental hazards.
    3. When measurement is poor or not aligned with proper management, environmental and human health suffer.
    4. Developing policy relevant indicators based in science is essential to appropriate measurement and management.
    5. The 2015 Paris Climate Agreement specifies climate change action expected from all countries, yet solid metrics to evaluate performance remain elusive

    You may want to consider inclusion of environmental metrics into your One Health activities.

    The report also recognises the challenges in developing such metrics.

  • NEOH students win ISVEE prize

    Congratulations to two of our NEOH members who have received the following prize:

    Best Graduate Student Papers/Oral Presentations at ISVEE 14, Yucatan, 2015: 

    Babo MARTINS: Economic assessment of zoonoses surveillance in a “One Health” context: a conceptual framework (Presentation No. 56).

    Laura FALZON:  The quantitative benefit of a “One Health” approach to study complex health issues: a systematic review (Presentation No. 53).

    Each student will receive a $100 USD Award.