November 2014: The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has conducted the final consultation for the publication, ‘Connecting Global Priorities: Biodiversity and Human Health: A State of Knowledge Review.’ The consultation took place at the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) World Parks Congress, which convened in Sydney, Australia, from 12-19 November 2014. The publication will be the culmination of a joint CBD and World Health Organization (WHO) work program on biodiversity and human health.

The 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to the CBD requested the establishment of this joint work program in Decision XI/6 “to support the contribution that the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 can make to achieving human health objectives.”

The publication focuses on key thematic areas that shape the biodiversity-health nexus, with the aim of contributing to the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, particularly Aichi Biodiversity Target 14, and to the development and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the post-2015 development agenda, particularly in environment, health, development and related sectors. The publication also aims to promote the enhanced use of biodiversity in programmes contributing to human health and raising awareness on the importance of biodiversity conservation and sustainable use for human health co-benefits.

The report addresses, inter alia: linkages between biodiversity and health; drivers of change that impact global public health and biodiversity; and cross-cutting themes such as climate change, disaster risk, bio-indicators and the post-2015 agenda. Key thematic areas considered in the report include: air and water quality; agricultural biodiversity and food security; nutrition and non-communicable diseases (NCDs); infectious diseases; physical and mental health and cultural ecosystems and services; and traditional medicine.

The report calls for comprehensive approaches such as the ecosystem approaches, “One Health” and “Ecohealth,” that integrate biodiversity, health and related fields.

The CBD and WHO will launch the final version of the report at the 14th World Congress on Public Health in Kolkata, India, in February 2015. [IISD RS Sources] [Draft thematic chapters: Connecting Global Priorities: Biodiversity and Human Health, a State of Knowledge Review] [CBD Cop 11 Decisions] [CBD Notification] [IISD RS coverage of World Parks Congress]