Connecting Global Priorities Biodiversity and Human Health

The high biodiversity ecosystems within the Pacic are the settings for health where cultural
identity, subsistence life and social systems exist (sensu Horwitz and Finlayson 2011). In a set of
studies from the small-island developing state of Fiji, enkins et al. (2010) demonstrated the notable
absence from degraded river basins of suites of sh that traditionally formed the staple diets of
inland communities. Notably absent species in heavily modied catchments include many migratory
species that form important commercial and cultural sheries for Pacic islanders. These eects
are largely seasonal and magnied in degraded catchments, with pronounced negative impacts
on food-provisioning services and biodiversity during heavy rainfall and severe storms (enkins &
upiter 2011). These eects will likely become more severe under predicted future climate scenarios.
Community bans on harvesting and clearing within riparian wetlands can be eective in maintaining
sh diversity, even in areas where forests have previously been extensively cleared (enkins et
al. 2010). However, these benets are rapidly lost once the ban is lifted and sh from rivers again
become scarce (enkins & upiter 2011). Fresh sh often contributes more than 75% of the sh
consumption of both rural and urban areas of the Pacic, with the remainder comprising canned
sh (Bell et. al 2009). Given the high levels of sh consumption, and the limited opportunities for
agriculture and animal husbandry in small islands, sh usually contributes the majority of animal
protein in the diet at the national level (Bell et al. 2009). For many Fijian inland communities,
freshwater sh not only comprise a major part of the diet but also have important cultural totemic
values. Loss of freshwater sh biodiversity therefore has important implications for physical and
cultural well-being. Some authors note an ecology-driven model of well-being in many Pacic islands
that is based on the vitality and abundance of natural resources relied upon for subsistence and
cultural practices (McGregor et al. 2003). Within this ecological model, the collective family unit
forms the core social unit within which the individual lives and interacts, which is interdependent
upon the lands and associated resources for health (physical, mental and emotional) and social
well-being. This case illustrates the potential for physical and psychosocial health to be eected
through loss in sh biodiversity. However, like many studies, while biodiversity loss can be clearly
demonstrated, the precise nature of impact on physical health through nutritional or cultural decit
has not been investigated.
5. Conclusions and ways forward
This chapter has presented an account of evidence
that suggests that biodiversity plays a role in
people’s lives, in their cultural traditions and in
their social interactions, and that health outcomes
are a consequence of these relationships.
Species, habitats, ecosystems, and landscapes
form essential elements of food production
systems, culinary traditions, traditional medicine,
rituals, worldviews, attachments to place and
community, and social systems. The constructs
of cultural ecosystem services, and ecosystems as
settings, can be used to frame the relationships
between biological diversity and cultural diversity,
and human health and well-being. The cultural
services provided by an ecosystem provide a useful
lens through which the interlinkages between
biodiversity and health can be seen.
Over half of the world’s population already lives
in cities and the transition toward urban and periurban
areas is steadily increasing, which will be
a major challenge for all countries, with notably
pronounced impacts in developing countries
(UN-Habitat & UNHSP 2010; Cohen 2006;
Cohen et al. 2012; Montgomery 2008). There is
a rising trend for people, especially within poor
communities, to be separated from nature and
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