Family walking to their agricultural fields, Madagascar

Funding: Duke University Bass Connections

Years: 2019 -2020

Randy Kramer (PI), Charles Nunn (PI), and James Herrera (PI)

This project builds on previous research to continue to investigate the links between biodiversity, infectious disease and human health in a rural community in Madagascar.

Our approach is to design studies that elucidate the mechanisms that drive associations between land use change and infectious disease risk for humans. One such mechanism is that deforestation alters wildlife communities by reducing habitat for native species and introducing invasive species, thus changing the disease dynamics of biological systems. The specific effects of human activities on disease, however, depend on the intensity of land use, the original biodiversity and other factors.

Using household, social network and choice experiment surveys, the study aims to investigate rural household behavior and attitudes toward conservation activities, and explore how social networks and use of certain habitats affects infectious disease patterns. Information gathered from the study will be used to identify potential policy actions that could be implemented to improve forest conservation, protect biodiversity and improve health.

This project was informed on data collected from a previous Bass Connections project.

Read more about the project.