Biodiversity and health: investing in biodiversity protection towards health gains

FCT_UIDB/05608/2020. FCT_UIDP/05608/2020.Biodiversity is declining faster than at any time in human history and the direct drivers of change in nature with the largest global impact are related to human activities: land and sea use changes; direct exploitation of organisms; climate change; pollution; and invasion of alien species. The One Health approach, and other holistic approaches, integrate human, animal, and plant health, as well as the health of their shared environment, informing and supporting a multidisciplinary and holistic approach that integrates monitoring, planning, and evaluation to optimize co-benefits and outcomes for public health. This chapter intends to provide a systematic overview on how conserving nature and biodiversity can contribute to improving the implementation of the One Health and other holistic approaches, to prevent new pandemics and to promote well-being. A detailed analysis regarding how the targets in the updated zero draft of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework can contribute to improving the implementation of the One Health or other holistic approaches was performed, aiming to support the ambition and commitment needed. Additionally, a list of indicators is proposed to guarantee a suitable monitoring framework and to adequately incorporate the value of biodiversity for health, well-being, and more specifically contributing to the reduction of the risk of new pandemics. This work highlights the importance of preventing biodiversity loss for human health and well-being. The linkages between biodiversity and human health reinforce the need for holistic approaches such as One Health to understand the intricate linkages between the health of plants, animals, humans, and our shared environment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio