Elsevier

Environmental Science & Policy

Volume 111, September 2020, Pages 7-17
Environmental Science & Policy

The role of ecosystems in mitigation and management of Covid-19 and other zoonoses

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2020.05.017Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Highlights

  • There is an increasing trend in incidence of and interest in zoonotic diseases.

  • Pervasive ecosystem degradation reduces the ecosystem service of disease regulation.

  • Decreasing barriers between humans and wildlife exacerbate zoonotic disease risks.

  • Ecosystem degradation degrades natural resources vital for managing transmission.

  • Policy responses addressing zoonotic threats should include ecosystem regeneration.

Abstract

There is rising international concern about the zoonotic origins of many global pandemics. Increasing human-animal interactions are perceived as driving factors in pathogen transfer, emphasising the close relationships between human, animal and environmental health. Contemporary livelihood and market patterns tend to degrade ecosystems and their services, driving a cycle of degradation in increasingly tightly linked socio-ecological systems. This contributes to reductions in the natural regulating capacities of ecosystem services to limit disease transfer from animals to humans. It also undermines natural resource availability, compromising measures such as washing and sanitation that may be key to managing subsequent human-to-human disease transmission. Human activities driving this degrading cycle tend to convert beneficial ecosystem services into disservices, exacerbating risks related to zoonotic diseases. Conversely, measures to protect or restore ecosystems constitute investment in foundational capital, enhancing their capacities to provide for greater human security and opportunity. We use the DPSIR (Drivers-Pressures-State change-Impact-Response) framework to explore three aspects of zoonotic diseases: (1) the significance of disease regulation ecosystem services and their degradation in the emergence of Covid-19 and other zoonotic diseases; and of the protection of natural resources as mitigating contributions to both (2) regulating human-to-human disease transfer; and (3) treatment of disease outbreaks. From this analysis, we identify a set of appropriate response options, recognising the foundational roles of ecosystems and the services they provide in risk management. Zoonotic disease risks are ultimately interlinked with biodiversity crises and water insecurity. The need to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic ongoing at the time of writing creates an opportunity for systemic policy change, placing scientific knowledge of the value and services of ecosystems at the heart of societal concerns as a key foundation for a more secure future. Rapid political responses and unprecedented economic stimuli reacting to the pandemic demonstrate that systemic change is achievable at scale and pace, and is also therefore transferrable to other existential, global-scale threats including climate change and the ‘biodiversity crisis’. This also highlights the need for concerted global action, and is also consistent with the duties, and ultimately the self-interests, of developed, donor nations.

Keywords

Zoonotic diseases
Ecosystem services
Water security
DPSIR
Socio-Ecological systems
Regeneration

Cited by (0)

Dr Mark Everard is Associate Professor of Ecosystem Services at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) with expertise in: systems; ecosystem services; sustainable water management; sustainable livelihoods; and freshwater ecology.

Dr Paul Johnston is Principal Scientist at Greenpeace Research Laboratories, providing scientific advice and expertise to Greenpeace International and national/regional Greenpeace offices around the world on a diversity of issues.

Dr David Santillo is Senior Scientist at Greenpeace Research Laboratories, experienced in environmental forensics analysis and the development of policies for environmental protection, including representation of Greenpeace at various international treaties and conventions relating to protection of the marine environment.

Professor Chad Staddon is Professor of Resource Economics and Policy at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) with expertise in: resource economics and policy; critical political ecology; human-environment relations; water resources; and forest resources