As climate change continues to reshape ecosystems and intensify environmental pressures, understanding the links between biodiversity, wildlife health, and human well-being has never been more important. The BioARC (Biorepositories for Adaptive Resilience to Climate) is one of the projects funded under the Climate, Environment, and Health (CEH2) Collaborative Research Action (CRA) of the Belmont Forum. The consortium is addressing this challenge by building a collaborative network of biorepositories across the Americas to strengthen wildlife pathogen surveillance, promote open-access data sharing, and advance One Health practices.
Bringing together partners from Belize, Brazil, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Uruguay, and the United States, BioARC connects researchers, practitioners, and community stakeholders from the natural, medical, and social sciences to co-develop resilient approaches to biodiversity conservation and public health.
This year, a technical exchange program in Belize hosted by the Belize Vector and Ecology Center will feature partners from the region to highlight Emerging Infectious Diseases surveillance tools and best practices. The 5 day workshop will focus on surveillance collection tools, laboratory testing and data analysis.