WILDLIFE, PEOPLE AND DEVELOPMENT - VETERINARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO WILDLIFE HEALTH AND RESOURCE-MANAGEMENT IN AFRICA

Human population pressures, habitat loss, environmental degradation an d illegal hunting in Africa have resulted in the loss of biodiversity and near extinction of certain wildlife species. The dilemma for Afric a is the balancing of conservation and development. If wildlife is not to become a relic of the past then it must have more than just aesthe tic value. It must contribute materially to the well being of people w ho live close to the resource. In fact, appropriate management of biod iversity would lay the foundations for a more positive future for the rural people of Africa, with the key being the adoption of an active a daptive management philosophy. This paper reviews the issue of sustain able use of wildlife resources and how the Veterinary profession contr ibutes positively to wildlife health management in Africa. These contr ibutions have been through increasing veterinary inputs into wildlife management and research, disease surveillance and prevention, training and education. Wildlife and ecosystems are increasingly having to be managed in order to save and maintain biological diversity. Veterinari ans have a crucial role to play towards the maintenance of wildlife he alth as part of a multi-disciplinary wildlife management team.