This document describes a study investigating the impacts of land use, climate, and biodiversity changes on human health and wellbeing, using Rift Valley fever as a case study. The study will use integrated modeling of ecosystems and disease transmission, map ecosystem services, develop an RVF transmission model, and collect field data on livestock and vectors. It will also examine local human-ecosystem interactions, economic values of ecosystem services, and the political and policy dimensions of RVF knowledge and responses. The study sites are Ijara District, representing minimal land use change, and Tana River County, representing substantial irrigation-driven land use change.

1. Disease-ecosystems
dynamics
• Uses an integrated analysis of
ecosystems and disease,
guided by spatio-temporal
process-based models, to
identify ecological drivers of
RVF.
• Types of ecosystem services
available in the study sites are
being mapped and quantified
using Integrated Valuation of
Environmental Services
(InVEST) modelling tool.
• RVF transmission model that
integrates vector, host and
socio-economics modules is
also being developed. This
involves adapting a model that
has been developed by other
projects (Figure 4) to analyze
climate change effects.
Figure 4. Outputs from an RVF
transmission model showing predicted
incidence in vectors and vertebrate
hosts for the period Jan 1990 to
December 2009
• Biological sampling of livestock,
people and vectors will be
implemented to generate data
for model parameterization
Investigating the impacts of land use, climate and biodiversity changes on human
health and wellbeing
Bernard Bett1, Evans Mwangi2, Salome Bukachi3, Salome Wanyoike4, Rosemary Sang5, Ian Njeru6
1. International Livestock Research Institute, P. O. Box 30709-00100, Nairobi; b.bett@cgiar.org
2. School of Biological Studies, University of Nairobi, P. O. Box 30197-00100, Nairobi; emmwangi@uonbi.ac.ke
3. Institute of Anthropology, Gender and African Studies, University of Nairobi, P. O. Box 30197-00100, Nairobi; sallybukachi@yahoo.com
4. Department of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Agriculture; P. O. Box 319-00605, Uthiru, Nairobi; swwanyoike@yahoo.com
5. Kenya Medical Research Institute, Ministry of Health; Rosemary.Sang@usamru-k.org
6. Division of Disease Surveillance and Response, Ministry of Health; iannjeru75@yahoo.com
Introduction
• Intact ecosystems maintain stable biodiversity and processes that support the
production of a range of ecosystem services
• Agricultural intensification and other land use changes e.g. urbanization cause
habitat fragmentation, pollution and alteration of biodiversity leading to a
reduction in regulatory and supporting services at the expense of provisioning
services (Millennium Assessment study [MA] 2005). Climate change accelerates
these changes by altering vegetation communities, biome boundaries and
animal habitats (IPCC 2007).
• As a result, the incidence and impacts of infectious diseases such as Rift Valley
fever, Chikungunya fever, malaria, etc. would increase if sufficient preventative
measures are not implemented.
• This study uses multidisciplinary approaches to identify the impacts of irrigation
in the dry lands (as an intervention to increase food production) on human
health and wellbeing based on the framework given in Figure 1. Rift Valley fever
(RVF) is being used as a case study disease and sites that have been identified
for the study are Ijara and Tana River Districts in Kenya (Figure 2)
• Expected outcome: Greater awareness established on linkages
between environmental change and public health. In addition,
findings generated will be used to develop policies and incentives on
sustainable land use
Local system contexts and
interactions
• Utilizes participatory and social
science methods to assess local
peoples’ interactions with their
ecosystems and landscape and
their understanding on the
linkages between ecosystem
change and the disease
• Builds on the work that has been
done using participatory
epidemiological methods (maps
[e.g. Figure 3], timelines, seasonal
calendars etc.) to illustrate how
livelihood practices influence
exposure to disease
Figure 3. A participatory map illustrating
grazing patterns in a Somali community in
northeastern Kenya
Industrialization&
other human
activities that
generate gases
with greenhouse
effect
Figure 1. Conceptual framework illustrating key linkages between
land use and climate change, biodiversity and human health and
wellbeing
Trans-disciplinary research themes
Social, economic and
environmental values
• Determines how people value
health with respect to RVF,
perceive economic values and
trade-offs in ecosystem
services, experience costs and
benefits from RVF control, and
adapt to some of the
implications of the disease
control measures.
• Contingent valuation methods
will be used to estimate
economic values of ecosystem
services and their trade-offs.
• The theme will also determine
how values attached to health
with respect to RVF influence
the daily choices that people
make to avoid exposure. These
objectives will combine
household surveys and
assessment of public records to
address most of the objectives
described.
Political economy of
knowledge and policy
This theme addresses key policy
questions including:
• How is RVF understood,
labelled, differentiated (or
not), prioritized or neglected
as part of a cluster of
diseases/health issues?
• Which drivers of the disease
are seen as being significant?
• What kinds of ecosystem
change are seen as
significant, and which are
ignored?
• What kinds of spill-over and
transmission dynamics are
identified as important?
• Which groups of people are
identified as vulnerable and
why?
• What poverty impacts are
identified?
References
IPCC. 2007. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment
Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. M.L. Parry,
O.F. Canziani, J.P. Palutikof, P.J. van der Linden and C.E. Hanson, Eds.
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 976 pp.
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. 2005. Washington, DC, Island Press.
Figure 2. Map of the study area
Two sites will be used for the study:
- Ijara District, Kenya is an area where
pastoralism is the main livelihood
activity. It represents a site that has
slow or minimal land use changes
- Tana River County, has two of the main
irrigation schemes in Kenya (Hola and
Bura). It represents a site with
substantial land use changes