The Natural Environment and Health in Africa

Abstract

Much of recent human development has come at the expense of Nature - undermining ecosystems, fragmenting habitats, reducing biodiversity, and increasing our exposure and vulnerability to emerging diseases. For example, as we push deeper into tropical forests, and convert more land to agriculture and human settlements, the rate at which people encounter new pathogens that may trigger the next public health, social and economic crisis, is likely to increase. Expanding and strengthening our understanding of the links between nature and human health is especially important in Africa, where nature brings economic prosperity and wellbeing to more than a billion people. Pandemics such as COVID are just one of a growing number of health challenges that humanity is facing as a result of our one-sided and frequently destructive relationship with nature. This report aims to inform professionals and decision-makers on how health outcomes emerge from human interactions with the natural world and identify how efforts to preserve the natural environment and sustainably manage natural resources could have an impact on human and animal health. While the report focuses on the African continent, it will also be of relevance to other areas of the world facing similar environmental pressures.