The growth of the human population and the resulting urbanization, poaching and illegal animal trade are constantly reducing the living space of wild animals. This not only leads to closer coexistence, but also increases the number of new pathogens emerging in close proximity to people.
The situation is serious, but not surprising. Those who live in the wild areas of Budapest II. or XII. area say that in broad daylight you can still meet newts, wild boars, squirrels or even foxes lurking in the gardens. And when III. fox appears on the roof of a house in the area, one wonders what is happening now? It is just that the wild animals are trying to reclaim their living space from humans.
Animals will appear here.
New from Science Advances Published The researchers argue in the study that in addition to the densification and expansion of cities, the movement of animals also affects changes in their living space. As they have started migrating due to climate change, they are looking for more suitable living conditions. For this reason, species richness is decreasing in some areas, but humans cannot be avoided, so the interaction between humans and wildlife is increasing in most countries. They also identified areas where the degree of coexistence will decrease, but they expect a significant decline in them. But how did they calculate what to expect in 46 years?
the Global Biodiversity FrameworkIt was adopted by various countries in 2022. Its purpose is to preserve life on Earth and slow the loss of wild species. It is now clear that wild animals and humans will inevitably mix together, and there is not enough space on the planet for them to be separated. The new study is very important because it shows where we can best prepare for the inevitable coexistence of humans and animals.
The researchers have now developed a global index to measure the overlap between wildlife and humans: to calculate it by area, population density is multiplied by the number of species in that area. The study included 22,374 species of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles, and was based on data on population numbers, species distribution and land types in 2015. In this way, it became clear where the greatest overlap is expected to occur in 2070. They also analyzed changes in species richness in each land type, in fields, pastures, forests and cities.
The largest overlap between animals and humans is expected to be in Africa, where it will be 70.6 percent, followed by South America, where the regional overlap is expected to be 66.5 percent, while in Europe it will be less, with only 21.4 percent expected. All in one On the map It was also photographed.
Pig vs. Human
As the land area is decreasing, on the one hand the free areas are already merged, and on the other hand the rise in sea level also limits the number of habitable areas, there is a serious competition between humans and animals. And competition always leads to conflicts or even diseases.
Just think of the coronavirus, which has become known to the whole world as a zoonotic disease, meaning a disease that is transmitted from animals to humans. We can catch fungi, parasites, viruses and bacteria from them, but the animals themselves often do not show symptoms. More than two hundred different diseases are known, including, for example, Ebola, plague, bird flu, rabies, SARS, malaria, West Nile virus, salmonella, swine flu or Zika virus.
There has already been a case of severe pneumonia that jumped from birds to humans here, when workers at a poultry processing plant became ill from ducks. The animals carried the psittacosis bacteria. How can the disease be transmitted from animals to humans? The most obvious way is through bites and stings, or the environment of the infected animal makes people sick — dust or soil — or we get the infection through food.
But can interaction with wild animals be beneficial? Yes, for example, birds can effectively exterminate pests, or it can also be a great advantage for people to be able to observe animals in nature. This creates a relaxed, calm, stress-free state and improves mental health. Provided that it is really a peaceful daydream when a squirrel wanders into our garden, and not a panicked cry: “Istvan, come on, there is a wild boar in the stairwell!” In this case, watching animals is even more harmful to the heart.
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