Assessing the changing risk of tick-borne diseases within woodland creation projects

评估林地创建项目中蜱传疾病风险的变化

• 批准号: 2750902
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Liverpool
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2750902
• 关键词: Assessing; changing; risk; tick; borne

Summary: Tree planting and woodland creation projects which aim to benefit biodiversity, climate change mitigation and connecting people to nature are increasing in number across the UK. However, as well as many benefits, increased woodland cover may also result in certain undesirable impacts unless carefully managed. For example, woodland is among the most suitable habitat for the tick vector Ixodes ricinus, which transmits several pathogens significant for human and animal health. How tick-borne disease risk changes as woodland establishes and how this threat may be managed, particularly in areas with increasing human use and/or proximity to farmed livestock is a major open question which this research aims to answer. By selecting woodlands of different ages since woodland creation, which include fenced areas to exclude deer, this project will assess how tick-borne disease risk changes as woodlands establish and how managing deer by fencing affects this risk. The project will combine empirical fieldwork, quantitative modelling and engagement with local decision makers to understand how tick-borne disease risk changes with woodland establishment. It will also contribute to evidence on how best to manage deer within ecological restoration projects to maximise biodiversity and tree regeneration objectives whilst minimising risks of tick-borne disease.

总结：植树造林和林地创造项目，旨在有利于生物多样性，减缓气候变化和连接人与自然的数量在英国各地越来越多。然而，除了许多好处之外，增加林地覆盖也可能导致某些不良影响，除非加以认真管理。例如，林地是蜱虫媒介篦麻硬蜱最适宜的栖息地之一，这种蜱虫传播几种对人类和动物健康具有重要意义的病原体。蜱传疾病的风险如何随着林地的建立而变化，以及如何管理这种威胁，特别是在人类使用和/或接近养殖牲畜的地区，这是本研究旨在回答的一个主要开放问题。通过选择自林地创建以来不同年龄的林地，其中包括围栏区，以排除鹿，该项目将评估蜱传疾病的风险如何变化，作为林地建立和如何管理围栏鹿影响这种风险。该项目将结合联合收割机经验性实地工作、定量建模和与当地决策者的接触，以了解蜱传疾病风险如何随着林地的建立而变化。它还将为如何在生态恢复项目中最好地管理鹿提供证据，以最大限度地提高生物多样性和树木再生目标，同时最大限度地降低蜱传疾病的风险。