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Proceedings of 65th Annual Conference
Project MOSI (Mosquito Onset Surveillance Initiative) Proposal for an International Zoo‑Based Surveillance Programme to Monitor the Effects of Climate Change on Mosquito Range Spread, Behaviour and Disease Risk Giovanni Quintavalle Pastorino – Imperial College | Paul Pearce‑Kelly – Chair, WAZA/CBSG Climate Change Task Force | Andrew Routh – Zoological Society of London
Project proposal 1 To expand the current UK and Italian focused mosquito monitoring initiative (ZSL, Imperial College and University of Genoa) to a permanent international zoo community based monitoring project. 2 To establish principle collaboration with WAZA and Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) with the objective of developing project under the auspices of this collaborating group 3 To use project outputs to fill current serious knowledge gaps regarding species range spread, seasonality extension and vector behaviour. Principle liaison agencies are considered to be: OIE (World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), World Health Organization (WHO), IUCN, UNEP and UNFCCC. 4 Use the unique circumstances of zoo environments to identify potential novel host‑preference behaviours to help develop new environment‑friendly and economically accessible trapping and monitoring techniques to use by zoos themselves and in any mosquito control programs (Malaria control programs) around the world. 5 To test in different environments, the efficacy of newly developed traps on several hundred mosquito species.
6 Use data from mosquito ‑vulnerable species interactions observed in the zoo environment to predict and manage potential disease outbreaks in the species natural range area. 7 Establish a permanent mosquito specimen library (facility available for this at Imperial College) for interdisciplinary (veterinary and human health) usage. 8 Provide monthly feed‑back reports to participating partners, in addition to annual regional and global reports. Review and discussion of findings within the project team. 9 Provide case studies and a zoo based project example to help WAZA community convey the current reality and increasing danger of climate change to their visitors and wider audiences.
Project rationale 1 The influence of global warming on mosquito range extension, life‑spans, breeding periods and disease dynamics is already significant. 2 This trend is very likely to continue, with increasingly serious implications for animal and human health. 3 Current mosquito surveillance capacity is very limited and there is no current ability to adequately address points 1 and 2.
4 By virtue of its global network of urban and rural sites, species assemblages, staff resource and coordination ability the international zoo community is uniquely placed to fill this role. 5 By establishing current baseline and divergence data for a number of key mosquito species the zoo community can provide an early warning system for in situ wildlife management and local communities. 6 Zoos are also uniquely placed to help improve current mosquito control ability and to predict likely impacts of climate change on many in situ species. 7 Zoos need this same information for their own animal health care and conservation management. 8 This project would help zoos convey the current reality and increasing danger of climate change to their visitors and wider audiences. 9 An ongoing UK zoo‑based mosquito monitoring programme has proven the feasibility and value of this work and provides an opportunity to easily implement this international initiative.