Ecosystem degradation could raise risk of pandemics

Date:
June 29, 2020
Source:
University of Exeter
Summary:
Environmental destruction may make pandemics more likely and less
manageable, new research suggests.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Environmental destruction may make pandemics more likely and less
manageable, new research suggests.


==========================================================================
The study, by the University of the West of England and the Greenpeace
Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter, presents the hypothesis
that disease risks are "ultimately interlinked" with biodiversity and
natural processes such as the water cycle.

Using a framework designed to analyse and communicate complex
relationships between society and the environment, the study concludes
that maintaining intact and fully functioning ecosystems and their
associated environmental and health benefits is key to preventing the
emergence of new pandemics.

The loss of these benefits through ecosystem degradation -- including deforestation, land use change and agricultural intensification --
further compounds the problem by undermining water and other resources essential for reducing disease transmission and mitigating the impact
of emerging infectious diseases.

Lead author Dr Mark Everard, of the University of the West of England
(UWE Bristol), said: "Ecosystems naturally restrain the transfer of
diseases from animals to humans, but this service declines as ecosystems
become degraded.

"At the same time, ecosystem degradation undermines water security,
limiting availability of adequate water for good hand hygiene, sanitation
and disease treatment.

"Disease risk cannot be dissociated from ecosystem conservation and
natural resource security." Dr David Santillo, of the Greenpeace Research Laboratories at Exeter, added: "The speed and scale with which radical
actions have been taken in so many countries to limit the health and
financial risks from COVID-19 demonstrate that radical systemic change
would also be possible in order to deal with other global existential
threats, such as the climate emergency and collapse of biodiversity,
provided the political will is there to do so." The researchers
say the lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic is that societies globally
need to "build back better," including protecting and restoring damaged ecosystems (in line with the goals of the 2021-2030 UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration) keeping the many values of nature and human rights at the
very forefront of environmental and economic policy-making.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Exeter. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Mark Everard, Paul Johnston, David Santillo, Chad Staddon. The
role of
ecosystems in mitigation and management of Covid-19 and other
zoonoses.

Environmental Science & Policy, 2020; 111: 7 DOI: 10.1016/
j.envsci.2020.05.017 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200629090009.htm

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