Natural resources sector crucial to emerging diseases strategy – policy brief

Rome – The integration of the natural resource sector into the global effort to reduce and mitigate the risk of emerging infectious diseases is essential, according to a new policy brief launched on One Health Day by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and EcoHealth Alliance.

Entitled How natural resource management sectors can contribute to reducing emerging infectious diseases: the example of forest ecosystems, the policy brief calls for a One Health approach in which prevention measures, enhanced detection and response actions take into consideration all aspects of the animal-human-environment interface.

“Over the past decade, infectious disease initiatives have predominantly concentrated on human and domestic animal connections, with natural resource management sectors being less involved and under-utilized in efforts to face and prevent epidemic threats,” said Tiina Vähänen, Deputy Director of FAO’s Forestry Division.

“However, the association between changes in forest ecosystems and the emergence of new diseases is very clear, and it’s crucial that natural resource management sectors – and forest ecosystems in particular – are fully included in all our strategies.”

Eight recommendations

The emergence of known and novel pathogens that led to the emergence of COVID-19 and other new infectious diseases in recent years has been attributed to the growing global population and its increased mobility as well as socio-economic, ecological and environmental factors. Around 60 percent of all emerging human infectious diseases have a zoonotic origin, meaning they originated in animals.

The paper highlights how different types of forest ecosystems and changes to those systems – such as light intensity, water availability and encroachment by people, domestic animals and non-native plants or animals – can increase or decrease the risk of infectious diseases jumping to humans.

“Robust data, expertise and information from the natural resource management sectors can provide a deeper understanding of the drivers of infectious disease emergence and further the development of cost-effective risk management strategies,” said Keith Sumption, FAO Chief Veterinary Officer and Chief, Joint Zoonotic Diseases and AMR Centre.

The brief provides eight recommendations for how the natural resource management sector can play a more active role in reducing risk and mitigating the impact of emerging infectious diseases, targeting national government authorities in charge of natural resource management, in addition to other sectors involved in environmental management and land use planning, including agriculture, tourism, animal health and public health.

The policy brief also states that investments are needed to strengthen the natural resource management sector’s capacity and ability to take leadership or supportive roles in disease risk reduction efforts as appropriate. Doing so will also generate collateral benefits, such as better management of forest and wildlife health to support biodiversity conservation.

One Health

The policy brief was developed following a request from the FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO), the Committee on Agriculture (COAG) and its Sub-Committee on Livestock for the Organization to strengthen its actions on and promote a more inclusive One Health approach.

One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems, recognizing they are closely linked. The approach mobilizes multiple sectors, disciplines and communities to work together to foster well-being and tackle threats to health and ecosystems.

The One Health approach is endorsed by FAO, the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Health Organization and the World Organisation for Animal Health Quadripartite alliance for One Health.