\n<\/p>\n
Editor\u2019s note: This week at the UN climate summit (COP26), Conservation International launched \u201cHear me while you can<\/a>\u201d \u2014 a new campaign which invites you to explore the soundscapes of ecosystems around the world, from Africa\u2019s savannas to the Amazon rainforest.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n As world leaders step up efforts to conserve critical habitats, Conservation News is highlighting how nature nurtures us \u2014 and why we must protect it. Here are a few of the ways nature supports human health.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat \u2014 it all comes from nature.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n According to recent research<\/a> led by Conservation International, more than two-thirds of the population of the tropics \u2014 about 2.7 billion people \u2014 directly depend on nature for at least one of their most basic needs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The study\u2019s maps identify exactly where people depend on natural resources the most \u2014 and underscores the threats that climate change and the destruction of nature pose to human life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cDepending on where you are in the tropics, threats include logging, unsustainable farming practices and mining \u2014 all of which can reduce access to food and clean water, building materials and endanger livelihoods,\u201d said Giacomo Fedele, a Conservation International scientist and lead author on the paper.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The good news: These maps can also help guide conservation by focusing efforts on the places most critical to human well-being. \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cKnowing where nature-dependent people live can help governments and decision-makers implement effective conservation and sustainable development strategies based on what resources these communities rely on the most,\u201d said Fedele.<\/p>\n Environmental degradation, deforestation and wildlife trafficking drive disease outbreaks: Seventy percent<\/a> of emerging viral diseases have spread from animals to humans.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n As humans encroach deeper into tropical forests, they are increasingly exposed to wild animals \u2014 and the diseases they may carry, such as Ebola and COVID-19.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A recent study <\/a>co-authored by Conservation International experts outlined a groundbreaking plan to decrease the risk of future pandemics by 27 percent or more \u2014 with a 10-year investment that is 50 times less than the cost of coronavirus response efforts to date. How? By protecting nature.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The strategy is three-pronged: reduce deforestation, restrict the global wildlife trade and monitor the emergence of new viruses before they spread. Making sure that forests remain intact limits the chances that humans are exposed to zoonotic diseases, explained Lee Hannah<\/a>, a Conservation International scientist and co-author on the study.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cTo help prevent the next pandemic, it is crucial for countries and businesses to incentivize protecting forests rather than destroying them,\u201d he told Conservation News.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cNot only is this good for public health, it will help slow climate change.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Conserving nature can help prevent infectious disease outbreaks. But did you know nature can also treat illnesses? Many modern-day medicines \u2014 including aspirin, penicillin, morphine and several chemotherapeutics \u2014 were derived from plants and fungi<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWhen we protect tropical forests, we also maintain \u2018nature\u2019s medicine cabinet<\/a>\u2019 \u2014 in other words, the wildlife and plants that could offer clues to solving illnesses such as cancer<\/a> and cystic fibrosis<\/a>,\u201d said Dr. Neil Vora, a practicing physician and Conservation International\u2019s pandemic prevention fellow.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In some cases, marine life has inspired designs of medical technology, such as artificial shark skin<\/a> that prevents bacterial growth when applied to hospital surfaces.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n However, widespread biodiversity loss and deforestation could threaten reserves of medicine in the wild \u2014 including remedies that have yet to be discovered.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cPeople have only harnessed the properties of a relatively small number of species,\u201d Melanie-Jayne Howes, a biological chemistry researcher, told The Guardian<\/a>. \u201cSome of the chemicals that plants and fungi produce are so complex we still can\u2019t produce them synthetically \u2013 take vincristine, used in the treatment of children\u2019s leukemia, and vinblastine, used to treat Hodgkin\u2019s disease.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In some cultures, immersing oneself in nature is even considered a form of therapy. For example, the practice of \u201cforest bathing<\/a>\u201d \u2014 known in Japan as \u201cshinrin-yoku\u201d \u2014 encourages people to immerse themselves in nature, letting its sights, sounds and smells wash over them.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The health benefits of this type of \u201cecotherapy<\/a>\u201d are backed by science<\/a>, with a range of studies<\/a> linking prolonged exposure to green space to a reduced risk of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. Some doctors<\/a> support forest bathing and other nature-related activities as a supplement to conventional Western medical care.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Studies show<\/a> that just listening to recordings from nature can help relieve stress and increase cognitive performance. Listen here<\/a> to intricate birdsongs, the murmur of insects and trickling streams from ecosystems around the world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n And global warming is already considered \u201cthe greatest threat to global public health,\u201d leading to a variety of ailments \u2013 from cardiovascular and pulmonary illness to dermatological disease, the world\u2019s leading medical journals recently warned.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Fortunately, ecosystems such as forests, peatlands and oceans are working around the clock to suck climate-warming carbon from the air, absorbing and storing about half of our annual global emissions. In fact, without Earth\u2019s complex web of terrestrial and marine ecosystems \u2014 known as the biosphere \u2014 we would already be seeing far more severe climate impacts than we are now, according to a recent study<\/a> led by Conservation International.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWithout nature\u2019s helping hand, the world would be on track to hit 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming by the end of the century \u2014 even if we drastically cut all other carbon emissions across our economies,\u201d said Dave Hole, a Conservation International scientist and co-author on the study. \u201cWe already have the tools we need to prevent a climate crisis \u2014 and nature provides many of them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n1. Nature fulfills our most basic needs\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
2. Nature can help prevent future pandemics<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
3. Nature is the world\u2019s \u201cmedicine cabinet\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
4. Nature is good for mental health and physical well-being<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
5. Nature can help stop climate change\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n