Climate is changing and the African continent where temperatures are rising faster than the global rate will be particularly affected.

The HUM-ANI project proposes to address increased infectious diseases’ threats and multi-hosts transmission in a context of climate change and biodiversity erosion in southern African socio-ecosystems. Climate is changing and the African continent where temperatures are rising faster than the global rate will be particularly affected notably by severe drought and an increase in high-intensity rainfall events. It could result in significant losses of African plant species and of over 50 % bird and mammal species by 2100. However, the risks to wildlife, livestock and human regarding infectious diseases in this context of species extinctions, climate change and resources limitation are not well understood and predicted in the scientific literature. Multi-species transmission is a key process in the emergence, spread and distribution of many infectious diseases (emergent or endemic) of humans and animals (domestic or wild). The predicted increase in aridity in southern Africa will likely decrease primary production and make resource availability in space and time (surface water and forage) more uncertain. The increasing spatial overlap between pristine and agricultural environments, and the collapse of biodiversity are likely to redistribute inter-specific contact patterns and affect inter-species transfers of infectious diseases.