Forest loss on the island of Madagascar leads to the endangerment of some of the world’s most threatened species and infectious diseases of poverty in human populations. Therefore, community driven conservation efforts in Madagascar have the potential to improve the health of surrounding human and wildlife populations. Here, we examine if community driven conservation efforts improve human and wildlife health in the eastern rainforests of Madagascar by comparing human and small mammal health indicators in and around a community protected forest (Mitsinjo) with those in disturbed habitats. Small mammals such as mouse lemurs, rodents, and tenrecs were captured using Sherman live traps in both sites. Species diversity, body mass, and ectoparasites for the small mammals captured was compared across sites. Simultaneously, health surveys were administered to human communities surrounded by protected forest and communities surrounded by disturbed habitat.
Results/Conclusions
Endemic species diversity was greater in the protected forest (n=6) than in the disturbed forest (n=2). Small mammals in the protected forest were not heavier (p=0.31) or more parasitized (p=0.38) than those in the disturbed forest. More individual invasive rodents (Rattus rattus) were captured in the disturbed forest than the protected forest. At the time the human surveys were administered, individuals working in agriculture reported more cases of febrile illness and a higher incidence of infestations of lice and fleas than individuals working in conservation positions. This trend was also apparent over the six months prior to sampling, with individuals in agricultural jobs reporting more febrile illness and ectoparasite infestations. Individuals working in conservation positions also reported a mean income (148,571ar) almost two times higher than individuals working in agriculture (85,286ar). In this study we compare indicators of health in small mammals such as: species diversity, body mass, and ectoparasites across a gradient of habitat disturbance, and we evaluate indicators of health in surrounding human communities. Our results indicate that community driven conservation efforts have the potential to improve socioeconomic status and wildlife and human health simultaneously, and may be used as a One Health intervention strategy in biodiversity hotspots.