While decades of research show that degraded environments can harm health, and that exposure to green spaces supports human health, there is still a critical, under-investigated question: Can the conservation of biodiversity and restoration of degraded ecosystems lead to measurable improvements in human health?
Answering this question is at the heart of a new initiative, the Healthy Ecosystems, Healthy People Initiative, led by the Ecological Health Network (EHN). EHN is a nonprofit organization that serves as a bridging organization, connecting ecological restoration sites and programs that might otherwise remain disconnected. By bringing together scientists, practitioners, community members, and others involved in restoration, EHN helps facilitate the exchange of information and resources to assist in coordinating joint, multidisciplinary and interprofessional research and action.
At its core, the initiative seeks to rigorously test the relationship between conservation of biodiversity and ecological restoration on the one hand, and human health outcomes on the other. The goal is to inform actionable strategies that expand the scope, improve the quality, and enhance the impact of ecological conservation, management, and restoration efforts globally. Such work is of critical importance, since nearly three-quarters of the Earth’s land-based ecosystems and two-thirds of the ocean have been and are being severely altered or degraded. These changes affect everything from the air we breathe to the food we eat, and thereby our health and well-being. Few people realize that ecological restoration and associated activities offer effective ways to reverse some, though not all, of this harm. It is one of the most hopeful and practical tools we have to help nature recover and to build a healthier future for all.
However, quantitatively assessing health outcomes from the conservation of biodiversity and restoration of degraded ecosystems is difficult, and few have attempted it. Given the complex interplay of social, economic, genetic, and environmental influences on human health, isolating the impact of interventions that improve an ecosystem’s structure, composition, and functioning on the health of human populations is not straightforward.
Healthy Ecosystems, Healthy People
An Ecological Health Network Initiative
Photo: Andean lupin (Lupinus aff. altimontanus), known in Quechua as Tarwi, flowering in the high Andes in the Cuzco Region of Peru. Credit: Thibaud Aronson.
Much evidence suggests that nature-based activities can benefit human health, particularly mental health. However, there are also cases where the benefits of greening may be overstated or even harmful. For example, planting allergenic trees in urban areas can worsen asthma rates. Similarly, introducing non-native plants to quickly sequester carbon can disrupt ecosystems and undermine long-term benefits that those activities could confer to nearby human populations.
The Healthy Ecosystems, Healthy People Initiative is designed to work at multiple scales, from local community projects to international collaborations. On the ground, we are engaging with community groups, Indigenous organizations, restoration practitioners, and health professionals to support projects that reflect local priorities and values. These collaborations ensure that research questions are locally relevant and that any health outcomes identified are meaningful for the people most affected.
At the same time, we are building a global research and action network that can compare findings across different ecosystems and cultures. Because the health impacts of conserving biodiversity and restoring degraded ecosystems may vary depending on ecological and cultural context, this research will be carried out across a wide range of biomes, ecosystems, communities, and health professionals. Only by working in diverse settings with our collaborators can we test site-specific hypotheses and build a strong, evidence-based understanding to guide policy and practice. This broader perspective is essential for understanding patterns and developing guidance that can be applied beyond a single site or country.
Critical to this work is an investment in fostering new transdisplinary collaborations. This will require investing in long-term relationship building between ecologists, health researchers, public health officials, and community leaders. Additionally, research projects will need to draw and combine a variety of methods, from biodiversity surveys and ecosystem monitoring to epidemiological studies and health impact assessments. It will also require patience. Restoration projects takes time, and so do any potential measurable health outcomes generated from those activities. With thoughtful design, consistent monitoring, and strong collaboration, we are optimistic that the initiative will serve as a catalyst for uncovering the pathways by which healthy ecosystems support healthy people.
If you are developing—or envisioning—a project that could contribute to building the evidence base connecting healthy ecosystems with healthy people, we invite you contact us to discuss how we might be able to assist you. Please reach out to us at info@ehnglobal.org.
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References
Header image: The Peruvian NGO Landes planting native tree seedlings with school children in the Utcubamba Valley, in the country’s northern Andes. Credit: Thibaud Aronson.