Ecological Degradation and the Risk of Mosquito-Borne Disease in the Great Lakes Basin
As climate change progresses in the Great Lakes, the region is increasingly vulnerable to invasion by mosquito species and increased viral transmission. Restoration activities that
address degradation of benthos, degraded fish and wildlife populations, loss of fish and wildlife habitat, and degradation of aesthetics are connected to the local risk of mosquito-borne disease. Using identified ecological impairments (BUIs) to address current and emerging threats in the Great Lakes region demonstrates the resilience of the BUI framework as a tool for understanding multi-faceted issues of ecological degradation both in the present and in the future.