Galapagos Matters Autumn Winter 2020 - Galapagos Conservation Trust

GLOBAL RELEVANCE
ONE HEALTH: IT’S
TIME TO RETHINK
OUR RELATIONSHIP
WITH NATURE
by Sharon L. Deem
I
f there’s one thing that COVID-19 has laid bare,
it’s that we cannot separate human health from
the health of all other life on Earth. The coronavirus,
SARS-CoV-2, is thought to have reached humans
from a bat host, through an intermediary animal
vector probably traded as a source of protein for the
growing human population.
Wildlife, livestock and humans live side by side in Galapagos © GTMEP
The pandemic is a real wakeup call, reminding us that the way we
interact with other species and the wider environment matters a lot.
This is the simple message behind One Health, the collaborative
effort of multiple disciplines — working locally, nationally and globally
— to attain optimal health for people, animals and the environment.
This movement highlights the health connections of the three arms of
the One Health triad – animals, humans and environments – and asks
us to work together to solve the many health crises of today.
By way of an illustration, I give you Pseudogymnoascus destructans,
a fungus that was first detected in the United States in 2006 that
infected and killed North American bats in their millions. What has
this got to do with human health and wellbeing? Bats control insect
pests, feeding on many species that plague human crops and vectors
like mosquitoes that carry viruses such as West Nile virus and Zika
virus. So, without bats, we may be at increased risk of infectious
diseases and we become more reliant than ever on pesticides. Bats
are also pollinators, with a role in the fertilisation of some 300 fruit
varieties. Indeed, it’s been estimated that the ‘ecosystem services’
provided by bats contribute almost $4 billion to US agriculture
every year. We cannot continue to ignore the web of ecological
connections. Put simply, a healthy planet equates to healthy humans.
In Galapagos, as elsewhere, the health of humans, animals and
environments are connected, and we need to pay attention to the
three sides of the triangle. The overuse of antibiotics to treat human
and livestock bacterial infections, for example, allows for strains
of bacteria that are resistant to
antibiotics to evolve. With humans
in Galapagos living so close to
protected areas, it’s very likely
that these strains will find their
way into the wider ecosystem,
with consequences that may have
serious negative health impacts on
the endemic wildlife of Galapagos,
the livestock species raised on the
Islands, and the human inhabitants
and tourists.
With many of us now living in
cities and away from nature, it is
easy to ignore the importance of
the profound connections between
the health of humans, other species
and the wider environment, but to
do so is to invite a planetary heart
attack. The COVID-19 pandemic
provides the opportunity to reimagine
a post-pandemic future.
We each have a responsibility to
ourselves, our communities and
other species to embrace the One
Health approach to ensure healthy
humans, healthy animals and
healthy environments.
There are many ways to weave One Health into our daily lives.
Buying less and reusing and recycling more will reduce your
ecological footprint in an instant. Eating less meat and sourcing
food from local, sustainable producers will reduce the movement
of plants and animals, and hence the incidence of new zoonoses –
diseases shared between human and non-human animals. Avoiding
toxic chemicals when treating pests will minimise the introduction
of disruptive chemicals into the environment. Picking up litter,
particularly plastic waste, will contribute to the health of the oceans.
And, of course, respecting the air and water on which we all depend
will not only make you healthier, it also may just make you happy.
For more ideas on how to help visit: stlzoo.org/diyconservation
20 GALAPAGOS MATTERS