Vulture Conservation as Pandemic Preparedness: An Integrated 'One Health' Approach
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Environment & Ecology (Species in news - Vultures, Diclofenac, Keystone species); Conservation efforts (National Action Plan for Vulture Conservation); International Conventions (Convention on Migratory Species - CMS); Flyways (Central Asian Flyway); Health (Zoonotic diseases, One Health).
Mains:
General Studies Paper 2 (Health & Governance): Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health.
General Studies Paper 3 (Environment & Biodiversity, S&T, Disaster Management): Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation; Biodiversity and its conservation; Disaster and disaster management (Pandemics as a bio-disaster). The link between biodiversity and public health is a core theme.
Key Highlights from the News
Vulture conservation is not just an environmental issue, but also a crucial method for pandemic preparedness.
Vultures, as nature's best scavengers, help prevent the spread of diseases like anthrax and rabies by consuming animal carcasses. This plays a critical role in preventing zoonotic spillover.
The use of Diclofenac, an animal painkiller, led to a decline of over 95% in the vulture population in India after the 1990s.
Indian vultures are part of the Central Asian Flyway (CAF), a migratory route spanning over 30 countries, making vulture conservation an international issue.
The article suggests integrating vulture conservation into the One Health concept (an approach that views human, animal, and environmental health together).
The article proposes a new five-pillar action plan including satellite telemetry, data-driven Decision Support System, and international cooperation.
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