Led by the University of Helsinki, with 91快活林 as a partner, it provides practical, proactive advice to ensure ecosystem restoration projects also boost human and animal health by creating healthier landscapes
The paper, published in uses what the researchers call a "One Health" approach to restoration. With this strategy projects are designed to prevent the emergence of zoonotic diseases, which are diseases that can pass between animals and humans
Though it has long been known that damaging nature increases the risk of new diseases, the scientific evidence on how restoration projects specifically reduce or regulate these risks has been unclear.
The new guide fills this gap by offering a clear framework for restoration managers The research emphasises that restoration is an opportunity to not just restore biodiversity, but to build healthier landscapes right from the start.
Dr Luci Kirkpatrick, Lecturer in Wildlife Ecology at 91快活林 said, "There is no doubt that restoring degraded and damaged ecosystems is vital for our future health. However, we need practical guidance on how to do this in a way that maximises ecosystem services, especially that of disease regulation."
Professor Frauke Ecke from the University of Helsinki said, "We're presenting an adaptive process that offers practical guidance on how to conduct ecosystem restoration in a way that maximizes biodiversity and essential services while proactively minimizing the disease risk."
The 鈥淥ne Health'鈥 approach recognises that the health of people, animals, and the environment are fundamentally interconnected.
Key to this strategy is stakeholder engagement and co-creation, which means getting everyone involved, from local communities to scientists, in the planning.
The need for comprehensive targets in every project is highlighted. This includes targets for biodiversity, climate benefits, and land use. For monitoring species that carry pathogens and disease presence, and tracking potential exposure and disease cases in humans.
By considering all these factors, restoration projects can be designed to be robust and successful, supporting global efforts to reverse biodiversity decline. The guide also stresses the need to plan for climate change, which can alter how restoration impacts an ecosystem.
Professor Joacim Rockl枚v, of Heidelberg University, in Germany said, "As habitats recover, climate change can lead to shifts in which species are present and abundant. By planning for this, we can make sure restoration efforts are resilient and keep the numbers of disease-carrying animals and pathogens in check."
Through traditional restoration it can take a long time for an ecosystem to fully recover. The study suggests that technique called trophic rewilding can speed up the process. This focuses on reintroducing ecologically important species, such as predators, to restore natural food-chain dynamics.