Land use change and landscapes of vector-borne disease, Madre de Dios, Peru

We are working to better understand the impacts of land use and climate on the risk of vector-borne diseases, and especially mosquito-borne disease, in Latin America. In partnership with researchers in the United States and Peru, we are advancing scientific understanding of the relationship between land use, human behavior and vector-borne disease, with a focus on the Madre de Dios region of Peru. We are also developing new models to map and quantify the impacts of land use decisions on disease risk in Madre de Dios and elsewhere in Latin America. Project partners include NatCap Stanford, Mordecai Lab at Stanford, Willy Lescano at University Peruviana Cayetano Heredia in Peru, Andy MacDonald at University of California Santa Barbara, and CINCIA in Peru. Funding: Moore Foundation (PRO-Agua), National Science Foundation

Project summary

Patterns of land-use can affect the transmission of many infectious diseases with human health implications. These relationships are often complex and non-linear. Applied ecosystem service models have rarely accounted for disease transmission risk. A mechanistic understanding of how land-use changes alter infectious disease transmission would help to target public health interventions and to minimize human risk of disease with either ecosystem degradation or restoration.