Kate E. Jones1, Nikkita G. Patel2, Marc A. Levy3, Adam Storeygard3{, Deborah Balk3{, John L. Gittleman4
& Peter Daszak2

[ For Full Article|^nature06536.pdf]

Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are a significant burden on global economies and public health1-3. Their emergence is thought
to be driven largely by socio-economic, environmental and ecological factors1-9, but no comparative study has explicitly analysed
these linkages to understand global temporal and spatial patterns of EIDs. Here we analyse a database of 335 EID 'events' (origins of
EIDs) between 1940 and 2004, and demonstrate non-random global patterns. EID events have risen significantly over time after
controlling for reporting bias, with their peak incidence (in the 1980s) concomitant with the HIV pandemic. EID events are dominated
by zoonoses (60.3% of EIDs): the majority of these (71.8%) originate in wildlife (for example, severe acute respiratory virus,
Ebola virus), and are increasing significantly over time. We find that 54.3% of EID events are caused by bacteria or rickettsia,
reflecting a large number of drug-resistant microbes in our database. Our results confirm that EID origins are significantly correlated
with socio-economic, environmental and ecological factors, and provide a basis for identifying regions where new EIDs are
most likely to originate (emerging disease 'hotspots'). They also reveal a substantial risk of wildlife zoonotic and vector-borne EIDs
originating at lower latitudes where reporting effort is low. We conclude that global resources to counter disease emergence are
poorly allocated, with the majority of the scientific and surveillance effort focused on countries from where the next important
EID is least likely to originate.

From: WWF
Published February 22, 2008 09:41 AM

http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/31616

Borders will matter less to central Africa's mountain gorillas, following the launch of a strategic conservation plan and an associated project which covers adjoining areas of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

There are only about 720 gorillas left in the tropical mountain forests shared by the three countries, the Central Albertine Rift Area Network. The gorillas' natural habitat is threatened by the destruction of these forests and the great apes themselves are victims of poachers.

Protected area authorities of the three countries launched their 10-year Transboundary Strategic Plan for the Central Albertine Rift Protected Area Network on 20 February 2008 in Kampala.

The project is part of the 10-year strategic plan developed by the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN), the Office Rwandais du Tourisme et des Parcs Nationaux (ORTPN) and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), and is supported by the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP). IGCP is a coalition of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), and Fauna & Flora International (FFI). The project secretariat is to be hosted by IGCP.

http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/47135/story.htm

MIAMI - A hurricane that hit Miami in 1926 would cause up to $157 billion in damage if it were to strike today, according to a study published this week.
US storm costs are rising because of higher populations and wealth on the coasts, not a spike in the number or power of hurricanes, the study said. Its conclusions run counter to the notion that the $150 billion in damages caused by the destructive Atlantic hurricane seasons of 2004 and 2005 might be linked to global warming, which some scientists believe is behind a spate of extraordinarily powerful hurricanes in recent years.

An extrapolation of current trends "suggests a storm like the 1926 Great Miami Hurricane could result in perhaps $500 billion in damage as soon as the 2020s," the study said.

Hurricanes and their destructive potential have become a key concern in global energy, insurance and commodities markets in the last decade. Scientists believe the Atlantic basin entered a new era of more frequent hurricanes around 1995, which could last 25 to 40 years.

...

"Unless action is taken to address the growing concentration of people and property in coastal hurricane areas, the damage will increase by a great deal as more people and infrastructure inhabit these coastal areas," said Landsea, a researcher with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The study was published in Natural Hazards Review, a publication aimed at civil engineers.

(Editing by Eric Walsh)
Story by Jim Loney