Abstract
The Caribbean is home to a vast array of vibrant coral reefs, pristine beaches, ecologically rich swamps, marine fisheries, mangrove habitats and protected rain forests which sustain hundreds of unique plant and animal species. Caribbean aquatic ecosystems house an enviable collection of sea, shore and swamp birds; colorful reef and ornamental fishes; regionally protected, threatened and endangered mega-vertebrates including whales, dolphins, manatees, sea turtles, sharks, whale sharks and rays, as well as snakes, neo-tropical river otters and many others. It is this biodiversity that sustains the livelihood of thousands of people throughout the region, draws tens of thousands of visitors to shores annually, and supports the economies of the Caribbean islands. Poor environmental health and loss of biodiversity can result in a series of ill effects on all who depend on a given ecosystem. Intervention and prevention of health problems in any of the three sectors positively changes the overall outcome. Environmental, animal and human health are intricately linked.
The development of a Caribbean One Health Center at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Faculty of Medical Sciences and the School of Veterinary Medicine has just recently begun. Serving as a timely prelude to the development of the center, a series of workshops will introduce and orient participants to the One Health concept using current, relevant regional examples. The first workshop, entitled "Caribbean One Health - Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems," was held June 24th and 25th, 2014. It was an initial step to inform and sensitize participants to the intricate and complex interconnections that exist in Caribbean aquatic ecosystems and highlight the multifaceted nature of 'Health' of such systems. This topic was especially timely in light of ongoing efforts to curb the negative human, animal/wildlife and environmental impacts of the recent oil spill in Trinidad and Tobago. The attendee list was primarily local (Trinidad and Tobago), but key regional colleagues from other Caribbean countries were also in attendance. A broad array of professions and interests were represented including human medicine, public health, veterinary medicine, ecologists, economists, government agencies, industry, business professionals, education, tourism, visual arts, and communications. The two-day agenda included defining One Health for the region, presentations by key stakeholders, identifying One Health aquatic issues in the region, in-depth working sessions exploring how to address obstacles and opportunities, and establishing workgroups that have continued to develop intervention strategies and strengthened regional conservation efforts for select issues.
The workshops are being conducted in collaboration with a European Union (EU) funded project "One Health, One Caribbean, One Love," which aims to promote and entrench a One Health approach to zoonotic and food-borne disease surveillance, diagnosis and response in Caribbean countries.
Together, both efforts are working to develop a Caribbean network of One Health leaders with the capacity to design and implement One Health strategies and projects as well as improving inter-sectoral collaboration and communication between veterinary, medical and environmental professionals. In addition to the workgroups, team members have developed a regional One Health quarterly newsletter and have begun to create a website/resource database to provide links to key contacts and agencies in Caribbean One Health matters. These tools are to show how some of the most important global and Caribbean health problems can, should and are currently being addressed using a One Health approach.
Acknowledgements
UWI, St. Augustine, Campus Research and Publication Fund CRP.2.APR14.10
* Presenting author