Conclusions, recommendations and the way forward - Carbofuran and Wildlife Poisoning: Global Perspectives and Forensic Approaches - page 251

9 Conclusions, recommendations
and the way forward
Ngaio Richards 1, 2
1 Working Dogs for Conservation, 52 Eustis Road, Three Forks, Montana
59752, USA
2 Department of Life Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road,
Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK
9.1 Wildlife mortality stemming from intentional misuse
and legal/labelled use of carbofuran
The overall objectives of this topic were to:
￿ provide an up-to-date, accurate and balanced account of the global impact of carbofuran use
on wildlife (to complete this picture, the Appendix at the end of this chapter summarises its
use in Israel, Australia and New Zealand),
￿ report on the responses and strategies adopted within the conservation community, and,
￿ share the relevant analytical and forensic methodologies used to detect carbofuran.
Chapter 1 provided an overview of the chemistry, environmental fate, manufacture, and analysis
of carbofuran. It also discussed compounds which have a similar chemical structure, mode of action,
and pattern of environmental degradation (e.g., carbosulfan). Chapter 2 gave toxicity values for car-
bofuran (in birds and mammals), listed potential exposure routes, described the effects of intoxication
and the typical signs/symptoms, discussed biochemical diagnosis of carbofuran poisoning, offered
advice on gathering evidence in the fi eld, and outlined rehabilitation approaches. From Chapter 3
onward, incidents of wildlife mortality, whether arising from deliberate misuse (e.g., in baits), acci-
dental misuse or legal/labelled use of carbofuran (i.e., during agricultural applications) were reported.
The two central themes that emerge from the topic are that:
1. The key driving force behind intentional poisoning is human-wildlife confl ict, and poisonings
will continue unabated until the core factors that result in such confl icts are addressed.
2. Legal/labelled uses of carbofuran pose a threat to wildlife that cannot be mitigated because the
compound is inherently unsafe.