Governments Must Prioritize the Health-Biodiversity Interlinkages
Nearly 23,000 participants attended the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16) in Cali, Colombia, October 21 – November 1, 2024. Among its outcomes, CBD COP16 adopted the Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health.
The decision was first called for by CBD parties in 2018 at COP14 and its adoption in Cali is historic. Many are hopeful it can mobilize stronger integrated coordination across sectors, ministries, and disciplines. The Plan also provides the first clear guidance to the public health sector on how to engage with the biodiversity community and collaborate to implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
The Plan contains actions that aim for two main effects. Some actions aim to improve ecosystem management and enhance access to nature which is known to lead to positive health outcomes. For example, other actions intend to recognize and minimize the negative impacts biodiversity loss and environmental degradation have on health. The Plan steers parties to organize these actions in alignment with the targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework within their national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs).
Biodiversity and Health in the Americas
According to the Pan American Health Organization, the contribution of environmental degradation to the regional burden of disease is 13%.
As the Global Action Plan indicates, the health of the environment and health of people is inextricably linked. The state of the environment relates to the quality and sufficiency of food, water, air, to exposure to degradation and harmful chemicals and to pathogens and it also influences mental health and well-being.
Liz Willetts, Scientific Associate, IAI
Environmental destruction, degradation and change negatively influence the health of individuals and communities and has become a significant factor in public and global health trends. Scientists are still learning how to calculate these outcomes and interpret them in terms of health costs and economic impact.
The management of ecosystems, land, and marine areas determine how and if the state of the environment is protected, conserved, restored, prioritized and valued. In that way, they determine how we promote health and prevent disease.
Next steps
A range of activities can support the implementation of the Global Action Plan at national and regional levels. The CBD will be looking for governments to raise awareness of biodiversity and health interlinkages and to support capacity building, convening of regional workshops, coordinating work with health-related ministries, and sharing guidance and best practices on integrated and transdisciplinary activities.
To learn more, read Implementing the Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health, which was recently published in The Lancet.