Biodiversity Loss and Human Health

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Biodiversity Loss and Human Health

Human health depends on far more than hospitals, medicines and individual behavior. It also depends on functioning ecosystems. Biodiversity—the diversity of genes, species and ecosystems—supports many of the basic conditions that make human life possible, including food production, clean water, fertile soils, medicines, climate regulation and protection from some environmental hazards.

As biodiversity declines, these ecological systems can become less resilient and less capable of providing services on which communities depend. The health consequences may be direct, such as the loss of nutritious foods or medicinal species, or indirect, such as changes in infectious-disease ecology, declining water quality, greater exposure to heat and floods, or psychological distress associated with environmental degradation.

The relationship between biodiversity and human health is complex. Biodiversity does not automatically protect people from every disease or environmental hazard. Different ecosystems, species and diseases respond differently to ecological change. Nevertheless, a growing body of research identifies numerous pathways through which protecting biodiversity can contribute to healthier and more resilient societies.

Biodiversity as a Foundation of Human Health

Biodiversity supports many of the environmental systems that function as natural health infrastructure. Healthy ecosystems help provide freshwater, nutritious foods, clean air, productive soils, medicines and materials. They also regulate climate, store carbon, support pollinators and fisheries, and influence exposure to pathogens and pollutants.

These connections mean that biodiversity loss is not solely a conservation problem. It can also become a public-health, food-security, economic and social problem.

The emerging concept of planetary health places these relationships within a broader framework. Human societies depend upon stable Earth systems, including climate, freshwater, land, oceans and biological diversity. When several of these systems are degraded simultaneously, health risks can reinforce one another.

For example, habitat loss can reduce biodiversity while also affecting water supplies, increasing heat exposure, altering food production and changing interactions among wildlife, livestock and people. Biodiversity loss therefore often occurs alongside other environmental pressures rather than in isolation.

Infectious Disease and Zoonotic Spillover

One of the most widely studied connections between biodiversity and health concerns infectious disease.

Land clearing, agricultural expansion, urbanization, habitat fragmentation and wildlife exploitation can reorganize ecological communities. Wildlife may be displaced into farms or settlements, people and livestock may encounter wildlife more frequently, and some species capable of carrying pathogens can become more abundant in disturbed landscapes.

These processes can create conditions that influence the transmission of zoonotic diseases—diseases that can move between animals and humans.

Research into Lyme disease, West Nile virus, malaria, Nipah virus, Hendra virus and other infections has helped demonstrate that ecological change can alter disease risk.

One proposed mechanism is the "dilution effect." In some ecosystems, greater host diversity may reduce pathogen transmission because many species are poor hosts or otherwise interrupt transmission. When biodiversity declines, highly competent hosts can sometimes become more dominant.

However, this relationship is not universal. Greater biodiversity can reduce disease transmission under some ecological conditions and increase or have little effect on transmission under others. Disease outcomes depend upon the pathogen, host species, vectors, ecosystem structure, geographic scale and type of disturbance involved.

The broader lesson is therefore not simply that "more biodiversity means less disease." It is that disruption of ecological systems can change disease dynamics, sometimes in ways that increase human exposure.

Land-Use Change, Pandemics and One Health

Research on pandemic prevention increasingly examines environmental conditions upstream of disease outbreaks.

Deforestation, habitat fragmentation, agricultural expansion, intensive livestock production, wildlife exploitation and urbanization can increase contact among wildlife, domestic animals and people. Protecting ecosystems and reducing disruptive land-use practices may therefore form part of strategies designed to prevent pathogen spillover before outbreaks occur.

This approach is closely connected with One Health, which recognizes that human, animal, plant and ecosystem health are interconnected.

One Health expands public-health thinking beyond treatment of disease after it reaches people. It encourages cooperation among medicine, veterinary science, ecology, agriculture, wildlife management and environmental policy.

The same framework is increasingly applied to antimicrobial resistance. Antibiotics and resistant organisms can move through hospitals, farms, livestock, wastewater, soils, rivers, wildlife and microbial communities. Antimicrobial resistance is consequently both a medical and environmental problem.

Microbiomes, Allergy and Immune Function

Biodiversity also exists at microscopic scales.

Humans constantly interact with bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms in soil, vegetation, air, food and water. These environmental microorganisms can influence the human microbiome and immune system.

The "biodiversity hypothesis" proposes that reduced exposure to diverse environmental microbes may contribute to immune dysregulation and the development of allergic and inflammatory conditions.

Research has found associations among environmental biodiversity, microbial diversity and conditions such as asthma and allergic sensitization. Experimental studies of biodiverse environments, including urban green spaces and daycare settings, have also investigated whether exposure to richer environmental microbiomes can influence immune regulation.

This research has important implications for cities. Urban greening may provide benefits beyond scenery and recreation if diverse vegetation, soils and natural environments also increase contact with beneficial environmental microorganisms.

The evidence is still developing, but it suggests that conservation of microbial and ecological diversity may represent an overlooked component of environmental health.

Food Security, Pollinators and Nutrition

Biodiversity is fundamental to food systems.

Crop varieties, livestock breeds, pollinating insects, soil organisms, wild foods, forests, fisheries and aquatic ecosystems all contribute to the quantity, quality and resilience of human diets.

Pollinators are particularly important because many fruits, vegetables, nuts and other nutrient-rich foods depend partly or substantially on animal pollination. Declining pollinator populations can therefore affect not only agricultural production but also access to micronutrients.

Agricultural biodiversity can help diversify diets and make farming systems more resilient to pests, disease and climate pressures. Neglected and underutilized crops can provide nutrients while broadening the biological base of food production.

Wild foods also remain important in many communities. Wild fruits, vegetables, fish, animals and forest products can contribute protein, vitamins, minerals and income, particularly in rural and Indigenous communities.

Fisheries demonstrate the importance of diversity within food systems. Different fish species contain different combinations of protein, fatty acids, iron, zinc, calcium and other nutrients. Declining fish diversity may therefore reduce nutritional options even when the total quantity of fish harvested does not immediately collapse.

Protecting food biodiversity can consequently be viewed as both a conservation strategy and a public-health strategy.

Mental Health, Nature and Urban Biodiversity

Natural environments can also influence psychological well-being.

Research examining urban parks, birds, plants, natural soundscapes, green spaces and coastal environments has found associations between nature exposure and measures of mental health and restoration.

Some studies suggest that biodiversity itself may matter, rather than simply the amount of vegetation present. Bird diversity, plant diversity, perceived species richness and natural soundscapes have all been investigated as possible contributors to psychological benefits.

Biodiverse environments may encourage recreation, physical activity, social interaction, attention restoration and connection with nature.

Environmental degradation can have the opposite effect. The term solastalgia describes distress associated with damaging environmental change in places to which people feel emotionally attached. Wildfires, ecosystem degradation, species decline and landscape transformation can therefore have cultural and psychological as well as ecological consequences.

Urban biodiversity policy can consequently intersect with public health. Parks, street trees, biodiverse gardens, wetlands and other green and blue spaces may simultaneously provide habitat and improve human living environments.

Freshwater, Wetlands and Air Quality

Freshwater biodiversity is closely linked with human health because rivers, lakes and wetlands influence drinking water, food production, sanitation and livelihoods.

Wetlands can filter pollutants, store water, support fisheries and wildlife, moderate floods and provide resources used by surrounding communities. Their destruction can reduce these services and increase vulnerability to environmental hazards.

Mangroves provide another example. Biodiverse mangrove ecosystems support fisheries, trap sediments and pollutants, protect coastlines from storms and erosion, and contain species with nutritional or medicinal importance.

Vegetation also affects air quality. Trees and other plants can capture some airborne pollutants, reduce heat and influence local atmospheric conditions.

However, health outcomes depend partly on which species are planted. Some trees produce allergenic pollen or emit compounds that influence air chemistry. Designing healthy urban forests therefore involves more than simply increasing tree numbers; species composition and ecological function also matter.

Biodiversity and Climate Resilience

Biodiversity loss and climate change are closely connected health threats.

Forests, wetlands, mangroves, grasslands and urban green spaces can reduce exposure to extreme heat, flooding, erosion and other climate-related hazards. Diverse ecosystems can also be more resilient to disturbance and environmental change.

Nature-based solutions attempt to use ecological protection, restoration and management to address societal problems such as flooding, heat, water quality and climate adaptation.

When designed well, these interventions can produce multiple benefits at once: protecting species, cooling cities, improving water management, supporting recreation and reducing disaster risks.

There can also be trade-offs. Poorly planned projects may favor a narrow range of species, introduce allergens, create unwanted disease-vector habitat or prioritize climate goals without adequately protecting biodiversity. Nature-based solutions therefore work best when ecological and public-health objectives are considered together.

Medicines and Drug Discovery

Biological diversity is an enormous reservoir of chemical and genetic variation.

Plants, fungi, microorganisms and marine organisms produce compounds that have contributed to medicines and continue to provide leads for pharmaceutical research.

Loss of species can therefore mean the permanent loss of biological compounds before their medical potential has even been investigated.

Modern approaches increasingly combine traditional natural-product research with genomics, biotechnology, chemistry and computational methods to identify potentially useful compounds.

Medicinal biodiversity is particularly important because conservation and drug discovery can reinforce one another. Protecting ecosystems preserves not only known medicinal species but also millions of organisms whose biochemical properties remain poorly understood.

Indigenous Peoples and Traditional Knowledge

The relationship between biodiversity and health is particularly visible in communities whose food, medicine, livelihoods, identities and cultural traditions remain closely connected with local ecosystems.

Indigenous and traditional knowledge systems contain extensive information about medicinal plants, wild foods, ecological relationships and resource management.

Biodiversity loss can therefore produce impacts that go beyond the disappearance of species. It can erode food systems, traditional medicines, cultural practices, livelihoods and relationships with ancestral landscapes.

Research on wild edible plants and medicinal species shows how biological and cultural diversity are often intertwined.

Protecting biodiversity can consequently require protecting the knowledge systems associated with it. One Health and public-health programs are increasingly examining ways to incorporate Indigenous and local knowledge alongside scientific and medical knowledge.

Oceans, Fisheries and Coastal Health

Ocean biodiversity affects human health through seafood, livelihoods, medicines, recreation, cultural values and regulation of environmental conditions.

Healthy marine habitats support fisheries that provide essential protein and micronutrients to millions of people. Coral reefs, mangroves and coastal ecosystems also protect shorelines and sustain local economies.

Marine organisms are another potential source of biologically active compounds for medicine.

At the same time, marine pollution, habitat destruction, overfishing and biodiversity decline can undermine these benefits. Maintaining diverse marine ecosystems can therefore contribute simultaneously to conservation, nutrition, economic security and public health.

Ecosystem Restoration as a Public-Health Strategy

The links between ecological conditions and health have led some researchers to describe ecosystem restoration itself as a potential public-health intervention.

Restoring forests, wetlands, rivers, grasslands, coastal habitats and urban ecosystems can improve ecological functions while potentially creating cleaner, cooler and healthier environments for people.

Restoration can support water purification, flood control, food production, recreation, psychological well-being, microbial exposure and climate adaptation.

The health consequences of restoration should nevertheless be evaluated carefully. Ecological interventions can produce benefits, risks or trade-offs depending on location and design.

This reinforces a central theme of biodiversity and health research: effective environmental policy requires understanding the functioning of whole ecological systems rather than focusing solely on individual species.

Public Health and Biodiversity Policy

The evidence linking biodiversity and health has important implications for government policy.

Public-health agencies traditionally focus on healthcare systems, sanitation, vaccination, nutrition and pollution control. These remain essential, but ecological conditions increasingly need to be considered alongside them.

Potential areas of integration include:

• protecting intact ecosystems to reduce disruptive wildlife-human interactions;
• incorporating biodiversity into One Health programs;
• conserving pollinators, crop diversity and fisheries to strengthen nutrition;
• protecting watersheds and wetlands that support clean water;
• designing biodiverse urban green spaces for health and climate resilience;
• conserving medicinal plants and other biological resources;
• including Indigenous and local knowledge in environmental and health planning;
• restoring degraded ecosystems where ecological restoration can provide health benefits;
• reducing deforestation, fragmentation and other forms of land degradation associated with ecological instability;
• coordinating biodiversity, climate, water, food and health policy rather than addressing each separately.

Such policies treat biodiversity not merely as wildlife protection but as part of the ecological infrastructure supporting human communities.

Conclusion

Biodiversity and human health are deeply interconnected. Biological diversity helps sustain food systems, freshwater, medicines, microbial environments, fisheries, climate regulation and many other ecological processes essential to human well-being.

Biodiversity loss can contribute to health risks through several pathways. Habitat disruption can alter infectious-disease ecology. Declining pollinators, crops, wild foods and fisheries can weaken nutrition. Loss of environmental microbial diversity may affect immune regulation. Degraded ecosystems can reduce water purification, climate resilience and disaster protection. The disappearance of species can eliminate potential medicines, while environmental degradation can affect mental, cultural and community well-being.

These relationships are complex and context-dependent. Biodiversity does not uniformly reduce every health risk, and conservation measures can sometimes involve trade-offs. Nevertheless, the accumulated evidence supports a broader view of public health in which the condition of ecosystems is recognized as one of the foundations of human health.

Protecting biodiversity therefore serves more than the goal of preserving nature. It can also help preserve the ecological systems upon which food security, disease prevention, medicines, resilient communities and human well-being ultimately depend.

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General Links Between Biodiversity and Human Health

1. 1. Promoting Biodiversity Conservation for Climate and Health | World Health Organization | WHO | Current

Connects biodiversity conservation with clean air, freshwater, food, medicines, disease regulation, mental health and climate resilience.

1. 2. Guidance on Nature and Health | World Health Organization | WHO | Current

Provides policy guidance on protecting nature, biodiversity and ecosystems as components of public-health protection.

1. 3. Biodiversity and Health | World Health Organization | WHO | Current

Summarizes pathways through which biodiversity loss can undermine ecosystem services essential to health and contribute to wider social and economic disruption.

1. 4. Biodiversity and Health | International Union for Conservation of Nature | IUCN | Current

Reviews the importance of biodiversity for food security, freshwater, livelihoods, health protection and reduction of zoonotic disease risks.

1. 5. One Health | World Health Organization | WHO | May 8, 2026

Explains the interdependence of human, animal, plant and ecosystem health and how habitat fragmentation and ecological disruption increase opportunities for disease emergence.

1. 6. Protecting Health and Biodiversity through Nature-based Solutions | WHO and The Nature Conservancy | WHO | March 11, 2026

Shows how ecosystem protection and restoration can simultaneously reduce biodiversity loss, climate risks and public-health threats.

1. 7. Biodiversity and Health | Convention on Biological Diversity | CBD | 2026

Presents biodiversity as an environmental determinant of health supporting food, medicine, clean air and water, livelihoods, disease regulation and cultural well-being.

1. 8. Biodiversity | World Health Organization | WHO | February 18, 2025

Biodiversity supports food, freshwater, medicines, disease regulation and climate stability, while its accelerating loss creates multiple direct and indirect threats to human health.

1. 9. Nature, Biodiversity and Health | World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe | WHO Europe | June 22, 2023

Reviews how ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss affect food safety, water supplies, infectious diseases, medicines, mental health and overall well-being.

1. 10. Nature, Biodiversity and Health: An Overview of Interconnections | WHO Regional Office for Europe | WHO Europe | May 20, 2021

Reviews evidence connecting nature and biodiversity with physical health, mental health, disease prevention and environmental determinants of health.

1. 11. Q&A: Biodiversity and Infectious Diseases | World Health Organization | WHO | June 17, 2020

Explains how loss of genetic, species and ecosystem diversity can alter ecological systems in ways that create opportunities for disease emergence.

1. 12. Guidance on Mainstreaming Biodiversity for Nutrition and Health | WHO and CBD | World Health Organization | 2020

Provides practical guidance for integrating biodiversity into food, nutrition and public-health planning.

1. 13. Biodiversity and Infectious Diseases: Questions and Answers | Convention on Biological Diversity and WHO | CBD | 2020

Discusses how ecosystem degradation can change disease ecology and emphasizes protection of resilient ecosystems as part of public-health strategy.

1. 14. Human Health and Biodiversity: Report by the Director-General | World Health Organization | WHO | March 29, 2018

Describes international action addressing links among ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss and human health.

1. 15. Connecting Global Priorities: Biodiversity and Human Health | CBD and WHO | World Health Organization | June 3, 2015

Landmark state-of-knowledge review covering biodiversity's relationships with nutrition, infectious disease, medicines, water, mental health and ecosystem resilience.

Biodiversity Loss, Zoonoses and Infectious Disease

1. 16. Linking Habitat Loss to Pathogen Spillover | Qianyu Chen | Nature Reviews Biodiversity | November 7, 2025

Reviews evidence that habitat loss and fragmentation can force wildlife into closer contact with people and livestock and thereby influence zoonotic spillover.

1. 17. Biodiversity Shapes Humanity's Fight Against Infectious Disease | Alyssa Columbus | Nature Reviews Biodiversity | September 30, 2025

Revisits evidence connecting biodiversity conservation with the ecological regulation of infectious disease.

1. 18. A Meta-analysis on Global Change Drivers and the Risk of Infectious Disease | Michael B. Mahon et al. | Nature | May 8, 2024

A large meta-analysis found biodiversity loss, climate change, chemical pollution and introduced species were generally associated with increased disease-related outcomes.

1. 19. Ecological Countermeasures to Prevent Pathogen Spillover and Subsequent Pandemics | Raina K. Plowright et al. | Nature Communications | March 26, 2024

Argues that conservation, habitat restoration and ecological management can reduce wildlife-to-human pathogen spillover while providing biodiversity and climate benefits.

1. 20. Pathogen Spillover Driven by Rapid Changes in Bat Ecology | Raina K. Plowright et al. | Nature | 2022

Long-term Australian data link habitat loss, food shortages and changes in bat behavior with clusters of Hendra virus spillover.

1. 21. The Ecology of Nipah Virus in Bangladesh: A Nexus of Land-Use Change and Opportunistic Feeding Behavior in Bats | Multiple authors | Viruses | 2021

Examines how long-term forest loss and altered bat feeding and roosting patterns can create conditions favoring Nipah virus spillover.

1. 22. Land Use-induced Spillover: A Call to Action to Safeguard Environmental, Animal, and Human Health | Raina K. Plowright et al. | The Lancet Planetary Health | 2021

Calls for changes in land-use policy and conservation practice to reduce ecological conditions that promote zoonotic spillover.

1. 23. Biodiversity Loss Underlies the Dilution Effect of Biodiversity | Fletcher W. Halliday et al. | Ecology Letters | 2020

Finds that disease-dilution effects are especially apparent where biodiversity gradients result from disturbance-driven biodiversity loss.

1. 24. Changing Landscapes of Southeast Asia and Rodent-borne Diseases: Decreased Diversity but Increased Transmission Risks | Multiple authors | Ecological Applications | 2019

Links human-driven landscape change and declining mammal diversity with altered rodent communities and greater potential exposure to rodent-borne pathogens.

1. 25. Amazon Deforestation Drives Malaria Transmission, and Malaria Burden Reduces Forest Clearing | Andrew J. MacDonald and Erin A. Mordecai | PNAS | 2019

Finds evidence that deforestation increases malaria incidence in the Brazilian Amazon while revealing feedbacks between disease and land-use change.

1. 26. Does Deforestation Promote or Inhibit Malaria Transmission in the Amazon? | Multiple authors | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B | 2017

Systematic review shows that forest change can affect malaria risk through complex interactions among habitat, mosquitoes and human behavior.

1. 27. The Diversity-Disease Relationship: Evidence for and Criticisms of the Dilution Effect | Multiple authors | Parasitology | 2016

Reviews evidence supporting the dilution effect while explaining circumstances in which biodiversity may not reduce disease risk.

1. 28. Biodiversity Inhibits Parasites: Broad Evidence for the Dilution Effect | David J. Civitello et al. | PNAS | 2015

Meta-analysis finds broad evidence that increasing host diversity often reduces parasite abundance, including for zoonotic pathogens.

1. 29. Does High Biodiversity Reduce the Risk of Lyme Disease Invasion? | N.H. Ogden et al. | Parasites & Vectors | 2013

Tests whether diverse host communities reduce establishment of Lyme disease vectors and pathogens in southeastern Canada.

1. 30. Biodiversity and Disease: A Synthesis of Ecological Perspectives on Lyme Disease Transmission | Chelsea L. Wood and Kevin D. Lafferty | Trends in Ecology & Evolution | 2013

Shows that relationships between biodiversity and Lyme disease vary by ecological context and spatial scale.

1. 31. Impacts of Biodiversity on the Emergence and Transmission of Infectious Diseases | Felicia Keesing et al. | Nature | December 1, 2010

Influential review finding substantial evidence that biodiversity loss can increase transmission of some infectious diseases while emphasizing the complexity of disease ecology.

1. 32. Diversity, Decoys and the Dilution Effect: How Ecological Communities Affect Disease Risk | Pieter T.J. Johnson and David W. Thieltges | Journal of Experimental Biology | 2010

Reviews mechanisms through which diverse ecological communities can disrupt parasite transmission and reduce disease risk.

1. 33. Biodiversity Loss and the Rise of Zoonotic Pathogens | Richard S. Ostfeld | Clinical Microbiology and Infection | 2009

Examines Lyme disease and West Nile virus as examples in which loss of vertebrate diversity may increase human exposure to zoonotic pathogens.

1. 34. Biodiversity and Lyme Disease: Dilution or Amplification? | N.H. Ogden et al. | Epidemics | 2009

Demonstrates that biodiversity can either dilute or amplify Lyme disease transmission depending on ecological mechanisms and host interactions.

1. 35. Avian Diversity and West Nile Virus: Testing Associations Between Biodiversity and Infectious Disease Risk | Vanessa O. Ezenwa et al. | Proceedings of the Royal Society B | 2006

Tests whether greater bird diversity is associated with reduced West Nile virus infection rates in mosquitoes and people.

Environmental Biodiversity, Microbiomes, Allergy and Immunity

1. 36. The Role of Biodiversity in the Development of Asthma and Allergic Sensitization | Multiple authors | Environmental Health Perspectives | 2024

Reviews 82 human studies investigating how environmental and human microbial biodiversity relate to asthma, wheezing and allergic sensitization.

1. 37. Health by Design: Optimising Our Urban Environmental Microbiomes for Human Health | Jake M. Robinson et al. | Environmental Research | 2024

Explores how urban design could restore exposure to beneficial environmental microbial diversity lost through urbanization.

1. 38. A Perspective on Green, Blue, and Grey Spaces, Biodiversity, Microbiota, and Human Health | Multiple authors | Science of the Total Environment | 2023

Reviews evidence that reduced contact with biodiverse green and blue environments may affect microbiomes, immune function and broader health.

1. 39. Soil Microbiomes and One Health | Marcel G.A. van der Heijden et al. | Nature Reviews Microbiology | 2022

Reviews connections among soil, plant, animal and human microbiomes and identifies microbial diversity as an important component of One Health.

1. 40. Interplay Between Natural Environment, Human Microbiota and Immune System | Multiple authors | Science of the Total Environment | 2022

Reviews intervention studies examining environmental exposure, microbiome change and immune markers relevant to allergy prevention.

1. 41. Pathways Linking Biodiversity to Human Health: A Conceptual Framework | Melissa R. Marselle et al. | Environment International | 2021

Organizes biodiversity-health pathways into reducing harm, restoring capacities, building capacities and potentially causing harm.

1. 42. Nature Exposure and Its Effects on Immune System Functioning: A Systematic Review | Multiple authors | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health | 2021

Synthesizes studies suggesting nature exposure can influence inflammatory, allergic, asthmatic and other immune responses.

1. 43. Biodiversity and Health in the Urban Environment | Melissa R. Marselle et al. | Current Environmental Health Reports | 2021

Reviews positive and negative health relationships associated with biodiversity in towns and cities.

1. 44. A Biodiversity Hypothesis | Tari Haahtela | Allergy | 2019

Argues that contact with biodiverse natural environments may enrich human microbiomes and help support immune tolerance.

1. 45. The Rich and the Poor: Environmental Biodiversity Protecting from Allergy | Multiple authors | Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology | 2016

Reviews research suggesting that exposure to diverse environmental microbiota may help maintain immune tolerance and reduce allergy susceptibility.

1. 46. The Human Microbiome, Asthma, and Allergy | Multiple authors | Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology | 2015

Reviews links among environmental microbial exposure, human microbiome diversity and development of asthma and allergic disease.

1. 47. Soil Biodiversity and Human Health | Diana H. Wall, Uffe N. Nielsen and Johan Six | Nature | 2015

Explains how soil biodiversity contributes to food, clean water, disease suppression and other health-supporting ecosystem functions.

1. 48. The Biodiversity Hypothesis and Allergic Disease: World Allergy Organization Position Statement | Tari Haahtela et al. | World Allergy Organization Journal | 2013

Proposes that biodiversity loss and reduced exposure to diverse environmental microbes may contribute to immune dysregulation, allergies and inflammatory disease.

1. 49. Regulation of the Immune System by Biodiversity from the Natural Environment | Graham A.W. Rook | PNAS | 2013

Proposes environmental microbial biodiversity as an ecosystem service supporting immunoregulation and long-term human health.

1. 50. Environmental Biodiversity, Human Microbiota, and Allergy Are Interrelated | Ilkka Hanski et al. | PNAS | 2012

Study found associations among surrounding environmental biodiversity, skin microbial diversity and allergic sensitization in adolescents.

Biodiversity Loss, Food Security and Nutrition

1. 51. Global Action on Pollination Services for Sustainable Agriculture | Food and Agriculture Organization | FAO | Current

Reviews the importance of wild and managed pollinators to micronutrient-rich crops, food diversity and nutrition.

1. 52. Five Reasons Pollinators Matter for One Health | Food and Agriculture Organization | FAO | Current

Explains how pollinators support crop production, micronutrient-rich foods, plant health, biodiversity and resilient food systems.

1. 53. Biodiversity: Overview | Food and Agriculture Organization | FAO | Current

Explains how biodiversity supports pollination, healthy soils, pest regulation, fisheries, food security and human nutrition.

1. 54. Reversing Vegetable Biodiversity Loss to Diversify Diets | Maarten van Zonneveld et al. | PNAS | 2026

Examines restoration of vegetable crop diversity as a strategy for increasing dietary diversity and improving nutrition.

1. 55. Pollinators Support the Nutrition and Income of Vulnerable Communities | T.P. Timberlake et al. | Nature | 2026

Field research in Nepal connects insect pollinator diversity directly with crop production, family nutrient intake and smallholder income.

1. 56. Food Biodiversity and Its Association with Diet Quality and Health Outcomes | Jinke H. Baan Hofman et al. | Advances in Nutrition | 2025

Scoping review finds limited but consistently favorable associations between food biodiversity, nutritional adequacy and several health outcomes.

1. 57. Pollinator Deficits, Food Consumption, and Consequences for Human Health | Matthew R. Smith et al. | Environmental Health Perspectives / FAO | 2022

Modeling study estimates substantial global health losses resulting from reduced production of fruits, vegetables and nuts caused by inadequate pollination.

1. 58. Declining Diversity of Wild-Caught Species Puts Dietary Nutrient Supplies at Risk | Multiple authors | Science Advances | 2021

Amazon fisheries research shows that loss of fish species can destabilize supplies of iron, zinc, fatty acids and other nutrients important to human health.

1. 59. Fisheries and Policy Implications for Human Nutrition | Gabriel M.S. Vianna, Dirk Zeller and Daniel Pauly | Current Environmental Health Reports | 2020

Reviews the importance of fisheries to micronutrient supply and the public-health implications of fisheries management.

1. 60. Diversifying Food Systems in the Pursuit of Sustainable Food Production and Healthy Diets | Rodomiro Ortiz et al. | Trends in Plant Science | 2017

Advocates crop and cultivar diversity to simultaneously improve nutrition, agricultural resilience and environmental sustainability.

1. 61. Agricultural Biodiversity, Diet Diversity, and Nutritional Status in Low- and Middle-Income Countries | Andrew D. Jones | Nutrition Reviews | 2017

Finds generally positive associations between agricultural biodiversity and dietary diversity, with possible benefits for child nutrition.

1. 62. Agricultural Biodiversity, Dietary Diversity, Food Security, and Stunting of Children in Rural Kenya | Florence K. M'Kaibi et al. | Food Science & Nutrition | 2016

Investigates relationships among agricultural biodiversity, household food security, diet diversity and childhood stunting in rural Kenya.

1. 63. Assessing the Potential of Wild Foods to Reduce the Cost of a Nutritionally Adequate Diet | Céline Termote et al. | Food and Nutrition Bulletin | 2014

Kenyan case study demonstrates how wild food biodiversity can make nutritionally adequate diets more accessible to women and young children.

1. 64. Forest Biodiversity, Nutrition and Population Health in Market-Oriented Food Systems | Timothy Johns and Patrick Maundu | FAO | 2006

Explores how forest foods, medicinal species and traditional knowledge contribute to dietary diversity and health.

1. 65. Agricultural Biodiversity, Nutrition, and Health | Emile A. Frison et al. | Food and Nutrition Bulletin | 2006

Argues that agricultural biodiversity can improve dietary diversity and help address hunger and micronutrient deficiencies.

Biodiversity, Mental Health and Urban Well-being

1. 66. Perceived Green and Blue Space, Perceived Biodiversity, and Depression | Zhengbing Guo et al. | Public Health | 2026

Examines perceived biodiversity as a pathway through which green and blue environments may influence depression.

1. 67. Does the Biodiversity of Urban Green Spaces Impact on Human Health? | Multiple authors | Systematic Review | 2026

Reviews 147 studies connecting urban nature exposure with mental health, chronic disease, medication use, mortality and other health outcomes.

1. 68. Is Solastalgia Associated with Mental Health Problems? | Alicia Vela Sandquist et al. | BMJ Mental Health | 2025

Reviews evidence linking distress over environmental degradation with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress and other psychological outcomes.

1. 69. Positive Relationship Between Bird Diversity and Human Mental Health | Henrik Methorst | The Lancet Planetary Health | 2024

Uses repeated German population data to investigate associations between bird diversity and mental-health outcomes.

1. 70. Bird Diversity and Psychological Wellbeing: Green and Coastal Blue Space in a Neotropical City | Multiple authors | Urban Forestry & Urban Greening | 2021

Guyana study examines whether bird abundance and species richness in urban green and coastal spaces are associated with psychological well-being.

1. 71. Perceived Biodiversity, Sound, Naturalness and Safety Enhance Restorative Quality and Wellbeing | Multiple authors | Landscape and Urban Planning | 2020

Finds that perceived species richness and natural sounds can enhance perceived restoration and well-being in urban environments.

1. 72. Is Variety the Spice of Life? Effects of Species Richness on Self-Reported Mental Well-Being | Lukas J. Wolf et al. | PLOS ONE | 2017

Experimental study investigates whether exposure to greater species richness produces measurable improvements in psychological well-being.

1. 73. Evaluation of Natural Sounds in Urban Greenery | Multiple authors | Urban Forestry & Urban Greening | 2017

Shows that birdsong, species richness and natural soundscapes contribute to positive experiences of urban green areas.

1. 74. An Ecosystems and Vulnerable Populations Perspective on Solastalgia and Psychological Distress After a Wildfire | Multiple authors | EcoHealth | 2015

Investigates psychological distress associated with the loss and degradation of familiar landscapes following wildfire.

1. 75. Relations Between Urban Bird and Plant Communities and Human Well-being and Connection to Nature | Gary W. Luck et al. | Conservation Biology | 2011

Examines relationships between neighborhood biodiversity, residents' well-being and emotional connection with nature.

Ecosystem Degradation, Planetary Health and Public Health

1. 76. Beyond the Silos: Biodiversity, Water, Food, Health and Climate Nexus Interactions | Multiple authors | Global Evidence Synthesis | 2026

IPBES-related synthesis examines hundreds of interactions among biodiversity, water, food, climate and health and identifies important research gaps.

1. 77. Impacts of Breaching Planetary Boundaries on Human Health | Multiple authors | GeoHealth | 2025

Reviews health consequences of transgressing planetary boundaries including biodiversity integrity, land change, freshwater systems and climate.

1. 78. Planetary Boundaries Transgressions: Implications to Public Health | Multiple authors | Environmental Research | 2024

Synthesizes evidence linking biodiversity loss and other destabilized Earth systems with growing threats to public health.

1. 79. Intersecting Planetary Health: Environmental Stressors on Wildlife and Human Health | Multiple authors | Review Article | 2024

Examines how pollution, climate pressures, pathogens and environmental degradation simultaneously affect wildlife and human health.

1. 80. Biodiversity and Human Health: A Scoping Review and Examples of Underrepresented Linkages | Jake M. Robinson et al. | Environmental Research | 2024

Maps evidence connecting biodiversity with microbiomes, pollution buffering, mental health, Indigenous health, social equity and infectious disease.

1. 81. Links Between Biodiversity and Human Infectious and Non-Communicable Diseases | Multiple authors | Swiss Medical Weekly | 2021

Reviews evidence linking biodiversity with infectious disease, inflammatory disorders, microbiomes and non-communicable diseases while identifying major research gaps.

1. 82. Biodiversity and Human Health: Mechanisms and Evidence of Positive Health Effects | Multiple authors | British Medical Bulletin | 2018

Reviews psychological, physical, immune and ecosystem-service mechanisms linking biological diversity to human health.

1. 83. Addressing Challenges to Human Health in the Anthropocene Epoch | Andy Haines | International Health | 2017

Summarizes the Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission's planetary-health findings linking biodiversity loss, forest degradation, fisheries decline and other ecological changes to human health.

1. 84. A Systematic Review of the Health and Well-being Benefits of Biodiverse Environments | Rebecca Lovell et al. | Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health | 2014

Reviews evidence on whether biodiverse environments provide health benefits beyond those associated simply with access to nature.

1. 85. Linkages Between Biodiversity Loss and Human Health: A Global Indicator Analysis | M.M.T.E. Huynen, P. Martens and R.S. de Groot | International Journal of Environmental Health Research | 2004

Early global analysis investigates statistical relationships among biodiversity indicators, environmental disturbance and population-health measures.

Biodiversity, Medicines and Drug Discovery

1. 86. Natural Products as Drug Leads: Exploring Their Potential in Drug Discovery and Development | Kuldeep Singh et al. | Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology | 2025

Reviews natural compounds as important sources of pharmacological leads and discusses modern strategies for developing them into medicines.

1. 87. Natural Products in Drug Discovery: Advances and Opportunities | Alan L. Harvey et al. | Nature Reviews Drug Discovery | 2021

Reviews technological advances renewing pharmaceutical interest in natural products, particularly for cancer, infectious disease and antimicrobial resistance.

1. 88. What Is Hidden in the Biodiversity? The Role of Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry in Drug Discovery | Eliezer J. Barreiro | Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências | 2019

Uses historical examples to demonstrate biodiversity's role as a source of compounds and molecular structures for drug development.

1. 89. The Role of Natural Products in Modern Drug Discovery | Multiple authors | Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências | 2019

Reviews the continuing contribution of biodiversity-derived compounds to modern medicine and highlights examples originating from Brazilian biodiversity.

1. 90. The Impact of Decreasing Biodiversity on Novel Drug Discovery | David J. Newman | Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery | 2019

Examines how loss of terrestrial, marine and microbial biodiversity may reduce opportunities to identify new therapeutic compounds.

1. 91. Natural Products for Human Health: An Historical Overview of Drug Discovery Approaches | S. Bernardini et al. | Natural Product Research | 2018

Reviews how naturally occurring compounds have supplied medicines and inspired pharmaceutical innovation throughout history.

1. 92. Biodiversity, Drug Discovery, and the Future of Global Health | Multiple authors | Journal of Global Health Reports | 2017

Calls for stronger links between biodiversity conservation and biomedical research because species extinction can eliminate unexplored chemical and genetic resources.

1. 93. Medicinal Plants, Human Health and Biodiversity: A Broad Review | Tuhinadri Sen and Samir Kumar Samanta | Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology | 2015

Reviews medicinal-plant biodiversity and argues that species loss can eliminate potentially valuable pharmaceutical resources.

1. 94. Biodiversity, Chemical Diversity and Drug Discovery | Sheo B. Singh and Fernando Pelaez | Progress in Drug Research | 2008

Explores how biological diversity generates chemical diversity that can yield new pharmacologically active molecules.

1. 95. Biodiversity and Drug Discovery—A Symbiotic Relationship | Geoffrey A. Cordell | Phytochemistry | 2000

Discusses the importance of biological diversity and natural products to pharmaceutical discovery.

Indigenous Peoples, Traditional Knowledge and Biodiversity-Dependent Health

1. 96. Statement on World Health Day 2026 | Convention on Biological Diversity | CBD | April 7, 2026

Highlights biodiversity as a foundational determinant of human health and calls for implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework as part of protecting health and well-being.

1. 97. Ethnobotanical Study of Wild Edible Plants in Gursum District, Ethiopia | Multiple authors | Journal Article | 2026

Finds that wild edible plant diversity contributes to dietary diversity, micronutrients, food security and resilience while facing threats from land-use change and climate variability.

1. 98. Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss, and Indigenous Peoples' Health and Wellbeing | Laura Jane Brubacher et al. | PLOS Global Public Health | March 20, 2024

Systematic umbrella review finds that biodiversity loss can affect Indigenous Peoples' physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, cultural and livelihood-related health through deeply place-based pathways.

1. 99. Use of Wild Edible Plants: Can They Meet the Dietary and Nutritional Needs of Indigenous Communities in Central India? | Multiple authors | Foods | 2021

Documents the contribution of wild plant diversity to nutrition, food security, income and traditional knowledge among Indigenous communities.

1. 100. Ethnopharmacology, Food Production, Nutrition and Biodiversity Conservation | Vernon H. Heywood | Journal of Ethnopharmacology | 2011

Connects Indigenous and traditional medicine, wild and agricultural biodiversity, food production, nutrition and conservation.

Biodiversity, One Health and Public Health Policy

1. 101. UNEP One Health | United Nations Environment Programme | UNEP | Current

Explains the One Health approach linking the health of people, animals, plants and ecosystems and its relevance to clean water, food, air and biodiversity.

1. 102. Nature for Human and Ecosystem Health | United Nations Environment Programme | UNEP | Current

Presents protection and restoration of nature as an important component of pandemic prevention, environmental health and sustainable development.

1. 103. UNEP at the 9th World One Health Congress | United Nations Environment Programme | UNEP | September 2026

Examines biodiversity action as a One Health measure and connects environmental change, ecosystem health, infectious disease prevention and human health policy.

1. 104. Strengthening One Health Through Coordinated Action on Implementation, Science, Policy and Financing | United Nations Environment Programme | UNEP | April 9, 2026

Discusses coordinated action on emerging diseases, antimicrobial resistance, biodiversity loss, environmental degradation and climate change.

1. 105. Adopting a True One Health Approach | Inger Andersen | UNEP | April 6, 2026

Argues that protecting human health requires protecting animals, ecosystems and the biodiversity that supports food and water systems.

1. 106. Pathogens, Pollutants, and Preservation: Biodiversity's Role in Mitigating Health Risks | Multiple authors | Public and Environmental Health | 2026

Reviews biodiversity's contributions to food, water, disease regulation and resilience against environmental health threats.

1. 107. Embedding Indigenous and Local Knowledges with One Health | Multiple authors | Frontiers in Veterinary Science | 2026

Proposes integrating Indigenous and local knowledge into One Health responses to biodiversity loss, pollution, climate change and health inequalities.

1. 108. Nature-Based Solutions and Health | WHO Regional Office for Europe | WHO Europe | May 22, 2025

Reviews how ecosystem conservation and restoration can improve air, soil and water quality, mental health, physical activity and community resilience.

1. 109. Nature-Based Solutions for Health: Leveraging Biodiversity to Create Health-Promoting Environments | WHO and IUCN | World Health Organization | October 15, 2024

Provides practical recommendations for using ecosystem restoration, green infrastructure and sustainable land management to improve health while conserving biodiversity.

1. 110. The Environment Is Fundamental to Human Health. Here’s Why. | United Nations Environment Programme | UNEP | September 17, 2024

Explains how biodiversity loss, pollution and climate change affect clean water, food systems, wildlife-human interactions and human health.

1. 111. What Evidence Exists Regarding the Impact of Biodiversity on Human Health and Well-being? | Multiple authors | Environmental Evidence | 2024

Establishes a systematic evidence-mapping framework for identifying research on biodiversity loss, ecosystem services, health and well-being.

1. 112. One Health Joint Plan of Action to Address Health Threats to Humans, Animals, Plants and Environment | FAO, UNEP, WHO and WOAH | UNEP | October 17, 2022

Provides an international framework for preventing and responding to health risks through coordinated human, animal and environmental health policies.

1. 113. Quadripartite Memorandum of Understanding for a New Era of One Health Collaboration | FAO, UNEP, WHO and WOAH | UNEP | April 29, 2022

Establishes international cooperation for addressing health threats occurring at the human-animal-plant-environment interface.

1. 114. Biodiversity and Health | Multiple authors | Journal Article | 2022

Reviews the dependence of human health on ecosystem services such as freshwater, food, climate regulation and disease control.

1. 115. Joint Tripartite and UNEP Statement on the Definition of One Health | FAO, OIE, WHO and UNEP | UNEP | December 1, 2021

Defines One Health as an integrated approach recognizing that human, animal, plant and ecosystem health are closely interconnected.

1. 116. Disaggregating the Evidence Linking Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services | F. Isbell et al. | Nature Communications | 2016

Reviews hundreds of studies to clarify when biodiversity increases ecosystem services and the benefits people receive from them.

1. 117. Exploring Connections Among Nature, Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services, and Human Health and Well-being | Paul A. Sandifer, Ariana E. Sutton-Grier and Bethney P. Ward | Ecosystem Services | 2015

Reviews evidence connecting nature, ecosystem services and biodiversity with physical and psychological health.

1. 118. From Manaus to Maputo: Toward a Public Health and Biodiversity Framework | Multiple authors | EcoHealth | 2014

Develops a framework for integrating biodiversity, ecosystem services and public-health planning based on international biodiversity-health workshops.

1. 119. The Natural Relation Between Biodiversity and Public Health: An Ecosystem Services Perspective | Multiple authors | Ecosystem Services: Global Issues, Local Practices | 2013

Examines infectious disease, food, medicine, nature exposure and other ecosystem services linking biodiversity with public health.

1. 120. Biodiversity Loss Threatens Human Well-Being | Shahid Naeem et al. | PLOS Biology | 2006

Explains how biodiversity decline can weaken ecosystem processes supporting water, food, materials, environmental security and human well-being.

Biodiversity Loss, Land-Use Change and Infectious Disease

1. 121. Antimicrobial Resistance at the Human–Animal–Environment Interface | Nurshad Ali | Health Science Reports | August 4, 2026

Reviews antimicrobial use, wastewater, agricultural runoff and environmental reservoirs within a One Health framework.

1. 122. Mitigating Antimicrobial Resistance Through an Ecological One-Health Framework | Poonam Kanojiya et al. | EcoHealth | April 16, 2026

Frames antimicrobial resistance as an ecological as well as medical challenge requiring attention to environmental pathways.

1. 123. Global Evidence Synthesis on Land-Use Change and Zoonotic Risks | Adam Fell et al. | Nature Sustainability | January 27, 2026

Reviews global evidence showing that deforestation, urbanization and other land-use changes frequently alter zoonotic disease transmission.

1. 124. Safeguarding Future Generations: A One Health Perspective on Children, Climate Change, and Infectious Threats | Multiple authors | Frontiers in Public Health | 2026

Examines how biodiversity loss, climate hazards, antimicrobial resistance and emerging infections converge to create risks for children.

1. 125. Nipah Virus Infection — Bangladesh | World Health Organization | WHO Disease Outbreak News | 2026

Describes continuing Nipah virus spillover from fruit bats and illustrates the close relationship among wildlife ecology, food practices and human infection.

1. 126. Macroecological Approaches for the Prediction of Zoonotic Disease Risk | Multiple authors | Nature Sustainability | 2026

Reviews how species richness, phylogenetic diversity and other ecological measures can improve models of zoonotic risk.

1. 127. High Diversity and Distribution of Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases in Sudan | Multiple authors | Frontiers in Microbiology | 2026

Reviews how land-use change, urbanization, animal movement and climate influence tick communities and disease exposure.

1. 128. Biodiversity Loss and the Emergence of Novel Infectious Diseases: A Global Meta-analysis | Matluba Akhrorovna Tursunova | Journal of Wildlife and Biodiversity | 2026

Synthesizes studies examining associations among biodiversity decline, habitat fragmentation, zoonoses and vector-borne disease.

1. 129. Pathogens and Planetary Change | Multiple authors | Nature Reviews Biodiversity | 2025

Reviews interactions among biodiversity decline, global environmental change, wildlife disease, zoonotic infections and pandemic prevention.

1. 130. Land Use Change and Infectious Disease Emergence | Multiple authors | Reviews of Geophysics | 2025

Reviews pathways linking deforestation, fragmentation, urbanization, agriculture and livestock intensification with infectious disease emergence.

1. 131. Early-Stage Loss of Ecological Integrity Drives the Risk of Zoonotic Disease Emergence | Multiple authors | One Health | 2024

Finds that zoonotic emergence risk is related not only to species richness but also to human disturbance and the structural integrity of ecosystems.

1. 132. AMR, One Health and the Environment | D.G.J. Larsson et al. | Nature Microbiology | March 30, 2023

Clarifies the role of environmental microbial ecosystems and antimicrobial contamination in understanding antimicrobial resistance.

1. 133. Policies to Prevent Zoonotic Spillover: A Systematic Scoping Review of Evaluative Evidence | Multiple authors | Globalization and Health | 2023

Examines policies targeting deforestation, wildlife contact, agricultural expansion and other upstream drivers of pathogen spillover.

1. 134. Does Land-Use and Land Cover Affect Vector-Borne Diseases? | Multiple authors | Landscape Ecology | 2023

Systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates relationships between land-use intensification and vector-borne disease prevalence.

1. 135. Human-Mediated Impacts on Biodiversity and the Consequences for Zoonotic Disease Spillover | Multiple authors | Current Biology | 2022

Reviews mechanisms by which changes in species, landscapes and ecological interactions may alter pathogen spillover risk.

1. 136. Dilution Effects in Disease Ecology | Multiple authors | Ecology Letters | 2021

Reviews evidence and mechanisms through which biodiversity loss can allow highly competent disease hosts to dominate ecological communities.

1. 137. Biodiversity and COVID-19: A Report and a Long Road Ahead to Avoid Another Pandemic | Serge Morand and Claire Lajaunie | One Health | 2021

Reviews biodiversity loss, land-use change and wildlife-human interfaces as components of pandemic risk and prevention.

1. 138. Pandemics to Increase in Frequency and Severity Unless Biodiversity Loss Is Addressed | UNESCO | UNESCO | October 29, 2020

Summarizes IPBES findings on how environmental degradation and unsustainable interactions with wildlife can increase pandemic risks.

1. 139. Zoonotic Host Diversity Increases in Human-Dominated Ecosystems | Rory Gibb et al. | Nature | August 5, 2020

Finds that wildlife species capable of hosting human-shared pathogens often become relatively more abundant in heavily modified landscapes.

1. 140. IPBES Workshop Report on Biodiversity and Pandemics | IPBES | Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services | 2020

Connects land-use change, wildlife exploitation and other drivers of biodiversity loss with pandemic emergence and discusses prevention strategies.

1. 141. Towards Common Ground in the Biodiversity–Disease Debate | Jason R. Rohr et al. | Nature Ecology & Evolution | December 9, 2019

Reviews competing evidence about when biodiversity reduces or increases disease transmission and identifies areas of scientific agreement.

1. 142. Land Use Change Increases Wildlife Parasite Diversity in Anamalai Hills, Western Ghats, India | Debapriyo Chakraborty et al. | Scientific Reports | August 19, 2019

Shows how habitat modification can change host and parasite communities with implications for wildlife and potentially human health.

1. 143. Antimicrobial Resistance: A One Health Perspective | Scott A. McEwen and Peter J. Collignon | Microbiology Spectrum | 2018

Reviews antimicrobial resistance across human medicine, livestock, wildlife, soil, water and environmental microbial communities.

1. 144. Does Forest Loss Increase Human Disease? Evidence from Nigeria | Julia Berazneva and Tanya S. Byker | American Economic Review | 2017

Links local forest loss with increased malaria incidence among young children in Nigeria.

1. 145. The Negative Relationship Between Mammal Host Diversity and Lyme Disease Incidence Strengthens Through Time | Multiple authors | Ecology | 2014

Examines changing relationships between mammal species diversity and Lyme disease incidence across the United States.

Freshwater, Wetlands, Air Quality and Disaster Protection

1. 146. Freshwater Biodiversity and Health: An Analysis of SDG 6 and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands | Liz Willetts | PLOS Water | August 13, 2026

Examines opportunities to integrate freshwater biodiversity into public-health, water, sanitation and wetland-governance policies.

1. 147. Urban Nature-Based Solutions as Public-Health Infrastructure | Damianos Kalpakidis et al. | The Science of Nature | August 3, 2026

Reviews implemented urban nature interventions and their potential role as health-supporting infrastructure.

1. 148. Nature-Based Solutions, Ecosystem Services, and Human Well-Being in Global South Mangroves | Dinda Prayunita et al. | Ecosystem Services | June 2026

Reviews how mangrove conservation and restoration support coastal protection, biodiversity and human well-being.

1. 149. Nature-Based Solutions, Climate Change, and Biodiversity | Multiple authors | Nature-Based Solutions | 2026

Reviews how biodiverse ecosystem restoration can regulate floods, reduce heat and improve climate resilience while noting possible trade-offs.

1. 150. Nature-Based Solutions for Climate and Health: Mapping Synergies and Trade-offs | Multiple authors | One Ecosystem | 2026

Reviews pathways connecting biodiversity-supporting interventions with climate adaptation and public-health outcomes.

1. 151. Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction and Biodiversity into National Strategies | United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction | UNDRR | 2025

Provides government guidance for linking biodiversity conservation, ecosystem resilience and disaster-risk reduction.

1. 152. Forest Biodiversity and Structure Modulate Human Health Benefits and Risks | Multiple authors | Nature Sustainability | 2025

Uses European forest data to examine mental health, heat buffering, air quality, nutrition, medicinal plants and Lyme disease simultaneously.

1. 153. Environment and Ecosystem-Based Disaster Risk Reduction | UNESCO | UNESCO | 2025

Describes how forests, wetlands, mangroves and coastal ecosystems can reduce exposure to floods, storms, erosion and other hazards.

1. 154. Quantifying the Impact of Urban Trees on Air Quality in Geneva, Switzerland | Multiple authors | Urban Forestry & Urban Greening | November 2024

Examines species-specific differences in particulate removal, ozone uptake and volatile-organic-compound emissions by urban trees.

1. 155. International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2024 | Astrid Schomaker | Convention on Biological Diversity | October 13, 2024

Highlights wetlands, forests and mangroves as biodiversity-rich natural infrastructure that can reduce disaster risks to communities.

1. 156. Wetland Health Is Human Health | Convention on Wetlands | Ramsar | April 7, 2024

Explains how wetlands support water purification, food production, climate regulation and protection against floods and droughts.

1. 157. The Evolution and Future of Research on Nature-Based Solutions to Address Societal Challenges | Multiple authors | Communications Earth & Environment | 2024

Maps research on biodiversity-supporting nature-based solutions and identifies human health, food and water security as areas needing more attention.

1. 158. Investigating Mangrove-Human Health Relationships | Multiple authors | Dialogues in Health | 2022

Reviews mangrove contributions to fisheries, pollution removal, medicinal resources and other physiological health benefits.

1. 159. Tree Species Richness and Diversity Predicts the Magnitude of Urban Heat Island Mitigation Effects of Greenspaces | Multiple authors | Science of the Total Environment | 2021

Examines whether greater tree diversity can strengthen the cooling services urban vegetation provides during periods of heat.

1. 160. The Impact of Urban Street Tree Species on Air Quality and Respiratory Illness | Multiple authors | Health & Place | March 2019

Shows why tree species composition and allergenicity matter when designing urban forests for cleaner air and respiratory health.

1. 161. Conservation of Wetlands and Other Coastal Ecosystems | Ariana E. Sutton-Grier and Paul A. Sandifer | Wetlands | May 11, 2018

Connects wetland conservation with biodiversity, disaster-risk reduction, psychological health and community well-being.

1. 162. Biodiversity, Air Quality and Human Health | David J. Nowak et al. | U.S. Forest Service | 2015

Examines relationships among vegetation diversity, air pollution, ecosystem health and respiratory, cardiovascular and neurological health.

1. 163. Wetlands and Human Health: An Overview | Pat Dale and C. Roxanne Rutledge Connelly | Wetlands Ecology and Management | 2012

Reviews both health benefits and disease risks associated with wetland ecosystems and their management.

1. 164. Healthy Wetlands, Healthy People | Convention on Wetlands and WHO | Ramsar Technical Report | 2012

Reviews how wetlands influence drinking water, food, livelihoods, infectious diseases, pollution exposure and disaster risks.

Food Biodiversity, Wild Foods, Pollinators and Fisheries

1. 165. Forests for Food Security, Nutrition and Human Health | Food and Agriculture Organization | FAO | Current

Explains how forest biodiversity provides wild foods, medicines, income, clean water and dietary resources for forest-dependent communities.

1. 166. Indigenous African Wild Food Plants as Vital Iron Sources in Conflict Settings | Multiple authors | Trees, Forests and People | 2026

Reviews wild plant biodiversity as a source of iron and other nutrients for displaced and food-insecure populations in sub-Saharan Africa.

1. 167. Fish Loss in Tropical Coastal Ecosystems Can Jeopardise Nutrient Supply to Traditional Fishing Communities | Multiple authors | People and Nature | 2026

Evaluates how declining fish diversity can change protein and micronutrient supplies for coastal fishing families in northeastern Brazil.

1. 168. Accessible, Low-Mercury, and Nutritious Fishes Provide Win-Wins for Conservation and Public Health | Multiple authors | One Earth | 2025

Examines Amazon fish species to identify nutritional choices that can simultaneously reduce mercury exposure and pressure on vulnerable species.

1. 169. Fish Biodiversity Benefits Nutrition, Particularly for Lower-Income People | Krishna Ramanujan | Cornell Chronicle | July 18, 2024

Reports research showing that Cambodian households consume a broader diversity of local fish than they sell, highlighting biodiversity's importance for household nutrition.

1. 170. Wild Foods Are Positively Associated with Diet Diversity and Child Growth in a Protected Forest Area of Madagascar | Multiple authors | Current Developments in Nutrition | April 2024

Finds that consumption of locally harvested wild plants and animals was associated with dietary diversity and some child-growth measures.

1. 171. Underutilized Plants Increase Biodiversity, Improve Food and Nutrition Security, Reduce Malnutrition, and Enhance Human Health | Multiple authors | Nutrition Reviews | 2024

Argues for restoring neglected and underutilized crop species to improve dietary diversity, micronutrient intake and food-system resilience.

1. 172. Managing Nutrition-Biodiversity Trade-offs on Coral Reefs | Multiple authors | Current Biology | 2024

Examines relationships among reef fish biodiversity, fish biomass and the calcium, iron and zinc supplied to coastal communities.

1. 173. Crop Species Diversity: A Key Strategy for Sustainable Food System Transformation and Climate Resilience | Multiple authors | Food and Energy Security | 2024

Reviews the role of diverse crops, including Indigenous and neglected species, in nutrition, food security and agricultural resilience.

1. 174. Safeguarding Seafood Security, Marine Biodiversity and Threatened Species | Multiple authors | Frontiers in Marine Science | 2022

Examines how ocean conservation can protect threatened species and biodiversity while retaining access to important fishing grounds.

1. 175. Aquatic Biodiversity Enhances Multiple Nutritional Benefits to Humans | Joey R. Bernhardt and Mary I. O'Connor | PNAS | 2021

Finds that diverse aquatic food assemblages provide complementary combinations of micronutrients and fatty acids important to human nutrition.

1. 176. Meta-analysis of the Association Between Production Diversity, Diets, and Nutrition in Smallholder Farm Households | Multiple authors | Food Policy | 2018

Synthesizes evidence on whether greater crop and livestock diversity translates into more diverse diets and improved nutrition.

1. 177. Improving Diets with Wild and Cultivated Biodiversity from Across the Landscape | Bronwen Powell et al. | Food Security | 2015

Reviews research linking wild foods, crop diversity and landscape biodiversity with dietary quality and nutrition.

1. 178. Do Pollinators Contribute to Nutritional Health? | Alicia M. Ellis et al. | PLOS ONE | 2015

Models how loss of animal pollination could increase nutrient-deficiency risks depending on local diets and reliance on pollinator-dependent foods.

1. 179. Fisheries, Food Security, Climate Change, and Biodiversity | Jake C. Rice and Serge M. Garcia | ICES Journal of Marine Science | 2011

Reviews tensions and potential synergies among marine biodiversity conservation, fisheries production and global nutritional needs.

Urban Biodiversity, Microbiomes and Mental Health

1. 180. Urban Soil Gammaproteobacteria Diversity, Shaped by Biodiverse Land Use, Predicts a Lower Risk of Developing Allergy in Children | Multiple authors | Journal Article | 2026

Links urban soil microbial diversity with childhood allergic sensitization and provides additional evidence relevant to the biodiversity hypothesis.

1. 181. Unraveling Urban Plant Diversity: The Independent Effects of Plant Species Richness and Greenness on Health | Multiple authors | Urban Forestry & Urban Greening | November 2025

Experimental study separates the effects of plant species richness from total vegetation when examining relaxation, attention and stress.

1. 182. Will Biodiversity Actions Yield Healthy Places? A Systematic Review of Human Health Outcomes Associated with Biodiversity-Focused Urban Greening | Erica N. Spotswood et al. | People and Nature | 2025

Synthesizes evidence that many biodiversity-supporting urban design features can also provide physical, psychological and environmental health benefits.

1. 183. Plant Species Richness, Green Spaces, and Preterm Birth Risk in Urban Areas | Multiple authors | Environment International | 2025

Large Southern California study examines plant species richness around residences and its association with preterm birth.

1. 184. Natural Soundscapes Are Associated with Mental Well-Being via Capacity-Building and Capacity-Restoring Pathways | Multiple authors | Journal of Environmental Psychology | 2025

Investigates perceived bird diversity and natural acoustic complexity as pathways connecting soundscapes with psychological well-being.

1. 185. Bird Richness as a Mediator Between Greenspace and Mental Health Relationships | Multiple authors | Landscape and Urban Planning | 2025

Los Angeles analysis examines whether bird species richness helps explain associations between neighborhood greenspace and mental health.

1. 186. Biodiversity of Urban Green Spaces and Human Health | Chia-Ching Wu et al. | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution | November 25, 2024

Systematic review examines how objectively measured and perceived species richness in cities relates to physical and mental health.

1. 187. Species Richness Is Positively Related to Mental Health – A Study for Germany | Multiple authors | Landscape and Urban Planning | July 2021

National-scale study finds positive associations between plant and bird species richness and measures of mental health.

1. 188. Increased Plant Species Richness Associates with Greater Soil Bacterial Diversity in Urban Green Spaces | Multiple authors | Environmental Research | May 2021

Shows how management of urban vegetation can influence soil microbial biodiversity potentially relevant to human environmental exposure.

1. 189. Biodiversity Intervention Enhances Immune Regulation and Health-Associated Commensal Microbiota Among Daycare Children | Aki Sinkkonen et al. | Science Advances | 2020

Experimental daycare greening study found changes in environmental and skin microbiota accompanied by changes in immune-regulation markers.

Ecosystem Restoration, Oceans, Medicinal Biodiversity and Traditional Knowledge

1. 190. The Ocean and Human Health | Michael Moore et al. | United Nations World Ocean Assessment | Current

Reviews seafood, marine medicines, coastal well-being, pollution, pathogens, biodiversity loss and other connections between ocean health and human health.

1. 191. Healing the Future: Traditional Medicine Drives Innovation, Equity and Planetary Health | World Health Organization | WHO | May 22, 2026

Connects medicinal biodiversity and Indigenous knowledge with traditional medicine, pharmaceutical discovery and planetary health.

1. 192. Why Wetlands Hold the Key to Medicine, Biodiversity and Our Future | Musonda Mumba and Nicola Schoenenberger | Convention on Wetlands | March 9, 2026

Highlights wetland plants and fungi as sources of medicines, food, livelihoods and biologically diverse chemical resources.

1. 193. Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Nature's Pharmacy at Risk from Biodiversity Loss | Adeline Ting | Monash University | March 5, 2026

Examines threats facing medicinal and aromatic plant species and the potential loss of biologically active compounds important to medicine.

1. 194. Integration of Indigenous Medicinal Knowledge into Kenya's Modern Health Care Sector and Its Conservation | Multiple authors | Journal Article | 2026

Reviews the health importance of Indigenous medicinal knowledge in Kenya while emphasizing threats to medicinal plants from habitat loss, overharvesting and erosion of traditional knowledge.

1. 195. The Herbal Pharmacopoeia of Ecuador: A National Model for Integrating Traditional Knowledge and Biodiscovery | S. Llivisaca-Contreras et al. | Frontiers in Pharmacology | October 30, 2025

Describes efforts to combine medicinal-plant biodiversity, traditional knowledge, pharmacology and public-health applications.

1. 196. Medicinal Plants Meet Modern Biodiversity Science | Charles C. Davis and Patrick Choisy | Current Biology | February 26, 2024

Reviews how biodiversity science, genomics, biochemistry and Indigenous ethnopharmacological knowledge can contribute to drug discovery and human health.

1. 197. How Human Health and Well-Being Depends on Healthy Marine Habitats in the Mediterranean | Multiple authors | Heliyon | January 30, 2024

Reviews seafood, natural products, recreation, pollution regulation and other health benefits supplied by Mediterranean marine ecosystems.

1. 198. Ecosystem Restoration: A Public Health Intervention | Jake M. Robinson and Martin F. Breed | EcoHealth | 2020

Proposes treating ecological restoration as a public-health intervention capable of improving ecosystem services and reconnecting people with nature.

1. 199. Is Restoring an Ecosystem Good for Your Health? | Pierre Horwitz and Philip Weinstein | Science of the Total Environment | 2015

Examines potential public-health effects of ecosystem restoration and emphasizes the need to understand both health benefits and unintended risks.