Impact of deforestation and agricultural development on anopheline ecology and malaria epidemiology

Abstract

To clarify mechanisms linking deforestation, anopheline ecology, and malaria epidemiology, this study draws together 60 examples of changes in anopheline ecology and malaria incidence as a consequence of deforestation and agricultural development. The deforestation projects were classified based on subsequent land use and were reviewed in terms of their impact on anopheline density and malaria incidence. To further examine different anopheline responses to land transformation, two major ecological characteristics of 31 anopheline species were tested for their associations with changes in their densities and malaria incidence. Although niche width of anopheline species was not associated with density changes, sun preference was significantly associated with an increase in density. This study suggests the possibility of predicting potential impacts of future deforestation on vector density by using information on types of planned agricultural development and the ecology of local anopheline species.