One Reason Biodiversity Matters
Pandemics are intricately linked to biodiversity loss and ecosystem health.
Given the strong coupling we have seen in the past several years between unprecedented fiscal/monetary expansion and the global effects of the pandemic, it is worth asking how pandemic events might shape policy in the future.
From a global risk perspective zoonotic diseases are set to rise amidst the backdrop of a biodiversity crisis and crisis of ecosystem decline. Recent years have shown us a template for how the world will react to the complex combination of climate changes and natural ecosystem changes.
Biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation increase opportunities for pathogens to move between wildlife and humans. Anthropogenic actions like land-use change, intensive livestock production, wildlife trade, and climate change intensify the interface where wild hosts, vectors, and humans interact, raising the risk of novel spillover events and future pandemics. When natural habitats are destroyed or degraded, edge areas between natural and human environments expand, leading to more frequent human–wildlife encounters and greater pathogen transmission potential.
Moreover, the pandemic itself disrupts conservation funding, environmental policy, and sustainable tourism, indirectly creating feedback loops that can further undermine ecosystem stability and exacerbate drivers of disease emergence. Decisions relating to post-pandemic economic stimulus, such as subsidies for extractive industries, may unintentionally increase pressures on biodiversity making future outbreaks more likely.
More on GitHub: https://github.com/regimelab/biodiversity
References & Further Reading
The COVID-19 pandemic is intricately linked to biodiversity loss and ecosystem health Lancet Planet Health
Perplexity Perplexity.ai