Episode 1
Does our destruction of the natural world increase the spread of disease?
The recent COVID-19 crisis has brought to attention the links between human destruction of the natural world and the occurrence of infectious disease. A panel of three world-renowned scientific experts and a science writer give us the opportunity to learn about the origin, causes and impact of the transmission of disease from wildlife to humans.
Panelists:
Dr Beth Purse, MonkeyFeverRisk project lead and group leader, UK CEH Wallingford
Prof Eric Fèvre, Chair of Veterinary Infectious Diseases, University of Liverpool and ILRI Nairobi
Prof Kate Jones, Chair of ecology and biodiversity, University College London
David Quammen Science journalist and author of 16 books, including “Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic.”, USA
Chair: Matthew Shribman, science communicator and environmentalist, UK
Watch the 3 minute highlights video here
Watch the full event here
Read an article about the event written by Dr Tom Woodroof and published in The Ecologist.