CLIMATE CHANGE, BIODIVERSITY, CONSERVATION, DISEASE BURDEN AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT EMERGING ISSUES

Abstract

Climate change is an environmental challenge facing the world today and has emerged as a global issue facing

most developing countries. This is one of the most serious threats to biodiversity, conservation and the environ

ment. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2001), refers climate change to any change in

climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity. Climate change is already

having an impact on the dynamics of African biomes and its rich biodiversity (Erasmus, Van Jaarsveld, Chown,

Kshatriya, & Wessels, 2002). At the same time, the wider social and public health importance of biodiversity

is not always understood. Furthermore, climate variability has had far-reaching effects and includes, but is not

limited to, the following: heat stress, air pollution, slowing conservation efforts, vector-borne diseases such as

malaria, water-borne and food-borne diseases. Also, pervasive landscape changes include deforestation, exten

sion and intensification of agriculture, and livestock management, the construction of dams, irrigation projects,

and roads, and rapidly spreading urbanization pose serious health implications including the emergence of new

infectious diseases and altered distribution of recognized diseases. Such diseases affect over half the human

population, particularly the poor (Myers, 2009). Further, the recent (re)emergence of infectious diseases how

ever appears to be driven by globalization and ecological disruption, habitat destruction and biodiversity loss

associated with biotic homogenization can increase the incidence and distribution of infectious diseases affect

ing humans (Montira et al., 2009). There is a global recognition that many environmental problems including

conservation efforts cannot be solved or minimized with strategies that have been tried in the past, moreover,

the need to effectively manage natural resources for the benefit of its population has long been recognized by

many countries. However, population growth, development of new technologies, creation of hazardous sub

stances, requirements of international convention and treaty obligations and wanton and careless exploitation of

the resources among others are emerging environmental management issues that need to be currently addressed

(Miller, 2000).