Food, water and shelter. These compose the traditional list of basic needs that humans need to survive. However, with emerging concerns that affect daily life, the list has become longer. One basic need that has been added is health care.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that millions from the world’s population still have no access to health care, and that these people are faced with the difficult decision on whether they should prioritize health care over other basic needs.
This is the main reason the WHO chose “Universal Health Coverage” as the theme for this year’s World Health Day on April 7. Universal Health Coverage, as stated by the WHO, means that all people have access to the quality health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship.
However, the solution to this long-standing concern has always been available to everyone in all parts of the world.
Biodiversity, comprising of all living things and their habitats, has a significant impact on health. The Asean region alone, which hosts almost 20 percent of all known plant and animal species, is teeming with sources of raw materials for medicine.
Apart from this, biodiversity also protects communities from natural disasters, such as how mangroves, sea grass beds and healthy coral reefs provide natural defense against storm surges.
Also, forest ecosystems and their biodiversity contribute to human health and safety by regulating climate and disease proliferation, purifying air and water, and preventing soil erosion.
This is why the Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), with support from its development partners, has taken up efforts to demonstrate the importance of biodiversity to the health of the citizens of the Asean region.
In November 2018, the ACB, in cooperation with the WHO, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat, and the United Nation University’s Institute for International Global Health, hosted the Regional Workshop to Address Inter-linkages between Human Health and Biodiversity in the Asean region.
Held in Manila, the event gathered experts from the Ministries of Environment and Health in the Asean member-states to discuss national experiences and best practices on integrating biodiversity and human health.
“What we do to our environment has definite consequences to human health,” said Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim, executive director of the ACB. “Human health ultimately depends on ecosystems services that are made possible by biodiversity and its products,” she added.
Health Secretary Dr. Francisco T. Duque III, in his keynote address during the workshop, cited three areas where biodiversity affects human health: food security, pharmaceutical development and traditional medicine, and the emergence and spread of infectious diseases in animals, plants and humans.
With the ACB’s efforts to mainstream biodiversity both in the regional and global scale, it will not be long before everyone understands and appreciates the importance of biodiversity in human health. Strengthening collaboration between the health and biodiversity sectors is an important step in making sure that biodiversity is protected toward a healthy Asean community.