Preventing Pandemics: Why Biodiversity Matters

When:

September 24, 2020: 7:00PM to 8:00PM

Where:

Onine

To Attend:

Register

Join a Cary Science Conversation featuring disease ecologists Rick Ostfeld & Felicia Keesing

This conversation with Cary President Joshua Ginsberg, they will explore the role of biodiversity in infectious disease spillovers.

The pathogens that cause diseases like COVID-19, SARS, and Ebola originated in wildlife before making the jump to people. What causes zoonotic diseases to spill over? Are natural areas, and the biodiversity they hold, good or bad for our health? Can we manage animals to make the diseases they carry less likely to jump to people? These are among the questions that will be discussed.

Discover how development and biodiversity loss can set the stage for disease spillover events, why fast-breeding species like rats make for risky neighbors, and how protecting habitat and saving species can play an important role in safeguarding global health.

Rick Ostfeld is a Distinguished Senior Scientist at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. Felicia Keesing is the David & Rosalie Rose Distinguished Professor of the Sciences, Mathematics, and Computing at Bard College.

Registration is required. This event will take place via Zoom. There will be ample time for audience Q&A. The event is sponsored in part by Heather Croner Real Estate and Harney & Sons Fine Teas.