A recent research done by the Environmental Foundation for Africa and the ERM Foundation shows that forest fragmentation increases the risk of animal to human transmission of the Ebola virus and other diseases. According to the report, continuous crumbling of forest in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone contributed immensely to the spread of the virus from animals to humans in the region on grounds that when the forest are crumbled, there are 75% chance of animals and humans interaction.
Environmental Foundation for Africa and the ERM Foundation investigated seven outbreaks where the Ebola virus was transmitted from its wild reservoir, suspected to be bats, to humans. Its analyses stated that the forest-cover conditions at the time of the outbreaks and in three cases, changed in the landscape in the thirty years leading up to the outbreak.
Fragmentation exposes people to the Ebola virus and other diseases something she said is an issue that needs serious attention in order to keep citizens safe from contacting the Ebola virus from forest animals.
The Ebola Virus Disease and Forest Fragmentation report recommends that natural resource management and environment should be integrated as core elements and evaluation criteria of recovery programs; not as box-ticking impact-assessment exercises.
The report also recommends that the interdisciplinary expert group should advise policy-makers how to apply a precautionary approach to economic recovery plans to reduce the risk of future outbreak.
The report also recommends that the interdisciplinary expert group should advise policy-makers how to apply a precautionary approach to economic recovery plans to reduce the risk of future outbreak.