What can we learn from Identifying and Monitoring Hotspots?
‘Hotspot’ is a term that refers to a region of concern. From an ecological perspective this would be an area of high endemism with a great degree of biodiversity and species richness. Many times, these are also areas of high human animal interaction due to ecological needs, habitat destruction and wildlife trade/trafficking (anthropogenic actions). Because of the high human density and anthropogenic stressors, hotspots are of domestic and global importance. In the United States, these are areas that are over exploited, over harvested, geographically changed or are seeing an increase in the trade of wildlife. Wildlife trade, specifically illegally harvested or poached, and the heavy disease interface associated with it should be of great concern. Identifying and monitoring these hotspots begins with gathering, displaying and summarizing data which allows for drawing conclusions and quantifying for a visual analysis and predictions.
How does data determine a geographic hotspot and why are we concerned with this in the United States? Gathering trade data, the ongoing collection of wildlife shipments across US borders, we can identify trends in species and ports of entry. Drawing statistical conclusions from specific sets of data and pairing it with probability, mapping can be done to show spatial and geographical regions with the highest probability for points of entry, a hotspot. These predictions can help to create models that can be applied with the intent to aid in the disruption of wildlife trafficking and poaching. After identifying hotspots, monitoring can be prioritized to find new patterns in the trade and consumption of wildlife as food products that will help to predict and prevent future poaching and illegal trade- significantly decreasing the risk of zoonotic pathogen transfer. In short, representing data in useful ways and looking for underlying patterns will lay the groundwork for making predictions for future hotspots.
Many plants and animals pass over and through the borders of the United States every year as clothing items, jewelry, pets, raw materials and as meat for human consumption. Not all wildlife passing through the US is illegal, a good portion of it is legal and regulated. While the legal trade can be of concern, it is the illegal/unregulated portion that causes the greatest threat to the conservation and biodiversity of the species while also providing another route for the passing of pathogens. Data analysis, monitoring, mapping and policy changes could help to decrease the amount of illegal trade and the possibility for pathogen transfer to humans.
Agency: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Program: Directorate Fellows Program
Location: Fish and Wildlife Headquarters, Washington Office