PLANETARY HEALTH 5.2
Biodiversity and health: from fragmentation to integration Living in harmony with nature means a healthy planet and healthy people, but to get there, urgent, collaborative action is required T he links between biodiversity and human health vary, and occur at various scales. On a planetary scale, ecosystems and biodiversity play critical roles in determining the state of the Earth’s system, regulating its material and energy flows, and its responses to abrupt and gradual change. Ecosystems, including food production systems, depend on a great diversity of organisms: primary producers, herbivores, carnivores, decomposers, pollinators and pathogens. Services provided by ecosystems include food, medicines, clean air, and both the quantity and quality of fresh water, as well as spiritual and cultural values, climate regulation, pest and disease regulation, and disaster risk reduction – each of which has a fundamental influence on human health, both
diseases is complex, it is clear that the loss and degradation of biodiversity undermine the web of life and increase the risk of disease spilling over from wildlife to people. A UNIFIED APPROACH One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimise the health of people, animals and ecosystems. It recognises that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment (including ecosystems) is closely linked and interdependent. The approach mobilises multiple sectors, disciplines and communities at varying levels of society to work together to foster well-being and tackle threats to health and ecosystems, while addressing the collective need for clean water, energy and air, safe and nutritious food, taking action on climate change, and contributing to sustainable development. There are significant strategic opportunities to integrate the full range of biodiversity–health interlinkages in the application of One Health approaches in more systematic, comprehensive and coordinated manners. Such integration
mental and physical. At a more intimate level, the human microbiota – the symbiotic microbial communities present in the gut, respiratory and urogenital tracts, and on skin – contribute to nutrition, help regulate the immune system and prevent infections. Biodiversity is thus a key environmental determinant of human health, and the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity are prerequisites to ensuring human health in the future. The Covid-19 pandemic has further highlighted the importance of the relationship between people and nature. Although the relationship between biodiversity and infectious
By David Cooper, acting executive secretary, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity
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Health: A Political Choice – From Fragmentation to Integration
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