Connecting Global Priorities Biodiversity and Human Health

SAM PHELPS/UNHCR/ FLICKR
3. Freshwater, wetlands,
biodiversity and human health
1. Introduction
The centrality of water to human and ecosystem
health is readily apparent, yet often neglected.
Manipulating and adapting to changes in water
levels – dealing with water scarcity, flooding or
storms – has been instrumental for civilizational
survival, and this will continue as climate change
proceeds. The immense demand for water posed
by modern industry, agriculture, aquaculture,
forestry, mining, energy generation and human
consumption combine to exacerbate pressures
on water quality and quantity. Such threats to
freshwater and other aquatic ecosystems cannot
be viewed in isolation from their impacts on
human health and well-being (Carr and Neary
2008).
In addition to direct health impacts (such as
water-related illnesses), degradation caused by
human activity (such as unsustainable agricultural
practices) also affects access to sanitation, increases
the time invested in reaching water resources, and
hinders the capacity for local food production.
Based on recent World Health Organization
(WHO) estimates, some 768 million people, the
majority from low-income countries, still rely
on unimproved water supplies that are believed
to have high levels of pathogen contamination
(WHO 2013; WHO and UNICEF 2012; Prüss-
Ustün et al. 2014).¹ This reinforces the ongoing
importance of ensuring freshwater quality and
supply from natural ecosystems for the control
and regulation of waterborne and water-related
diseases, in particular for the world’s poorest,
most vulnerable populations, who already carry
a disproportionate portion of the global burden
of disease.
As discussed in this chapter and in the wide
breadth of scientific research in this area, the
ecosystems that sustain our water resources are
complex, and the often irreversible harm that they
sustain can be linked to public health outcomes.
More judicious management and use of our water
resources and aquatic ecosystems, coupled with
improved access to clean water, sanitation and safe
energy sources are critical, intimately related goals
(and challenges). As the last section of this chapter
reiterates, these will demand the application of
a holistic, cross-sectoral approach, such as the
ecosystem or One Health approach, and equally
integrated solutions that transcend disciplinary,
sectoral and political boundaries.
¹ As defined by the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water and Sanitation (Prüss-Ustün et al. 2014).
46 Connecting Global Priorities: Biodiversity and Human Health