By David Okul
Why should we strive to conserve biodiversity? I believe that If we do not, pathogens will find space to live among us. And when they do, our public health might be in danger. Hear me out.
No one knows the exact origins of coronavirus (Covid-19). Regardless, many people believe that it originated from Wuhan China, mainly because the first cases had linkages with a wet market in the area. Regardless, scientists know that the SARS-CoV-2 is common in bat populations. The virus somehow managed to infect humans. Like AIDS, SARS, Ebola, and some other infectious epidemics, the coronavirus is a zoonotic disease.
Think about it; the human body has trillions of microorganisms. How many more microorganisms exist within other plants and animals? I do not know, but I guess that it is undoubtedly more than quadrillions, or the next ‘llion’! And some of those microorganisms are pathogens, meaning that they cause diseases.
As we get closer to biodiversity, we expose ourselves to the pathogens
Human activities like urbanization, agriculture, logging, mining, and population growth trigger the destruction of biodiversity.
It is the destruction of biodiversity that creates conditions for new diseases. Tropical forests and wildlands have various plants and animals, and these living things harbor a variety of viruses. As we tamper with biodiversity, we get closer to more and more microbes.
Humans disrupt the ecosystem by killing animals and destroying habitats. When that happens, the viruses (and other microbes) that used to live in the animals and habitats will require new hosts. Often, the new hosts are us.
To reiterate, killing all the biodiversity will not get rid of the microbes. Inevitably, a few microbes may go extinct, but a significant number will look for alternative hosts. Humans will make a right candidate for alternative hosts because we are spread all over the earth.
The hidden cost of human economic development is exposure to zoonotic diseases. Rarely do environmental impact assessments capture this enormous cost. If you want to argue about the costs of zoonotic diseases, refer to how coronavirus has put the world at a halt.
Conserving biodiversity for human health is pertinent.
Researchers believe that pathogens are crossing from animals to humans at an alarming rate. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 75% of new emerging diseases are zoonotic. The coronavirus is just a tip of the iceberg, and more dangerous infectious diseases may arise if we do not put our act together.
We believe that conserving biodiversity will have positive outcomes for human health. As such, governments and non-governmental organizations should ensure enough land is set for protected areas. Species and their associated microbes will thrive in protected areas
I am not saying that maintaining protected areas will automatically mean that we will have no new zoonotic diseases. But yes, the risks will reduce. We should accept that humans are part of the earth system. In the bigger scheme of things, our ecological function is as crucial as the persistent mosquito.
“COVID-19 ..has shown how human health is intimately connected with our relationship to the natural world." -António Guterres, UN Secretary-General#ForNature#BuildBackBetter
— ＤＥＮＲ (@DENROfficial) May 26, 2020
Build back better and preserve biodiversity after COVID-19 pandemic: UN chief https://t.co/IsyIxrUxLY
David Okul is an environmental management professional with over 10 years experience on donor projects, conservation, forestry, ecotourism, and community-based natural resources management. When not working on active environmental management projects, I spend my time writing for Silvica on a variety of topics. The views on this blog post are personal.
