Over the last 20 years or so there’s been a lot of publicity about Lyme disease, to the neglect, almost, of tick-borne diseases in animals.  And in the conservation sphere there is a lot of publicity about biodiversity and the wish to encourage tree planting and wild borders in towns. It is all linked, though – ticks flourish where there is wildlife for them to feed on.

Trees & wild borders –> home for mice –> food for ticks!

Vets want to help protect pets and animals with pesticides. What effect does this have on the wider countryside? Conservationists, on the other hand, want to reduce chemicals in the environment and plant more hedges. We all want a “better” world!

The “One Health” approach is drawing our attention to how all this is linked and encouraging the collaboration and sharing of knowledge and data between different specialists.

CJS – Countryside Jobs Service – is raising awareness of how all sorts of initiatives in the countryside, and the towns, are linked.

Read the full article here: Whose health matters?

The One Health approach has gained traction in the UK over the last few years, partly because we have a lot of researchers looking at ticks, and a lot of conservationists trying to “re-wild” our towns and countryside. Where is the balance?!

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