Impact of Global Climate Change on Livestock Health: Bangladesh Perspective
How are climate change and livestock health interrelated? This report explores their connections from the Bangladeshi perspective.
Global carbon emissions, due to energy-driven consumption of fossil fuels and anthropogenic activities, are higher than at any point in human history. These emissions disrupt the global carbon cycle and are to a major cause of warming of the planet; air and ocean temperatures have been rising dangerously over the past century. Climate change presents challenges, both direct and indirect, for livestock production and health. With more frequent extreme weather events and increased temperatures, livestock health is greatly affected by resulting heat stress, metabolic disorder, oxidative stress, and immune suppression, resulting in an increased propensity for disease incidence and death. The indirect health effects relate to the multiplication and distribution of parasites and reproduction, virulence, and transmission of infectious pathogens and/or their vectors. Managing the growing crossbreeding livestock industry in Bangladesh is also at the coalface for the emerging impacts of climate change, with unknown consequences for the incidence of emerging and re-emerging diseases.
Bangladesh is now one of the most vulnerable nations to global climate change. The livestock sector is considered a major part of food security for Bangladesh, along with agriculture. With one of the world’s largest growing economies, Bangladesh keenly feels the impact of this disaster. There has been no direct study of the impact of climate change on livestock health and disease in Bangladesh. This review explores the linkage between climate change and livestock health and provide guidelines from the Bangladeshi perspective to combat the impact on livestock.
Conclusions
Climate change is now a global concern due to its multidimensional effects and impact on humans, animals, plants and the environment. Research has established that changes in global or regional climate patterns due to climate change are affecting livestock health directly and indirectly. Bangladesh is among the countries most vulnerable to global climate change due to its unique geographic location. Livestock sectors of Bangladesh are growing rapidly to fulfill the increased demand of animal protein of the world’s eighth densely populated country. However, it is suffering with increased disease loads and often reporting emerging and reemerging infectious diseases. Climate changes are increasing HS by a lingering hot season and increased heat waves in the summer, resulting in an increased disease incidence for homoeothermic farm animals. This paper reviewed the relationship between climate change and livestock health in Bangladesh and the potential for increased impact for the livestock sector and identified a lack of systematic research globally and an absence of information in Bangladesh on this topic. Specific recommendations for adaptation and mitigation of the impact of climate change on animal health in Bangladesh are as follows:
- Research on climate-resilient technology for livestock and their adaptation.
- Follow the good farm practice, strict farm biosecurity, and herd health management.
- Development of updated vaccines and therapeutics combating for endemic and emerging diseases.
- Design the animal sheds considering animal comfort, animal behavior and climate change.
- Conservation and development of local animal genetic resources. A long-term policy of breeding for disease resistance traits through continuous challenge and natural selection.
- Development of saline and drought-tolerant fodder varieties and modern feeding management practices.
- Development and application of the methodology to link climate data with animal disease surveillance system.
- A comprehensive and coordinated study on real-time impacts of climate change on livestock and making a corrective policy decision.
This report was authored by Md Zulfekar Ali, Gemma Carlile and Mohammad Giasuddin of the Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute.