Biodiversity and Health

What Needs to be Done?

The linkages between biodiversity and human health presents a broad range of opportunities for jointly protecting health and biodiversity, and for advancing human well-being

Over the last decade, the multiplicity and complexity of linkages between biodiversity and human health have been increasingly recognized. However, we can improve our understanding of the complex linkages between biodiversity, ecosystem services and human health and promote co-benefits through more integrated policies and implementation activities by strengthening collaboration with the health sector and mainstreaming biodiversity and health linkages into national strategies policies, programmes, accounts and reporting instruments.

Towards a biodiversity-inclusive One Health transition to achieve a vision of living in harmony with nature that also advances health and well-being

One health, among other holistic approaches such as Ecohealth or Planetary health, provides an opportunity to integrate the full range of biodiversity-health linkages. As highlighted in the 5th edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO-5), achieving a biodiversity-inclusive One Health transition that remains economically sustainable for populations in developing countries; fully supports human health, all living beings, ecosystems and relevant systemic drivers; and addresses the common drivers of biodiversity loss, habitats disruption, disease risk, and health impacts will enable a virtuous cycle. Coordinated, cross-sectoral approaches as One Health can help to address the common drivers of biodiversity loss, climate change, negative health outcomes and increased pandemics risk.