Helping to heal nature and ourselves through human-rights-based and gender-responsive One Health

Abstract

The health of our planet and humanity is threatened by biodiversity loss, disease and climate crises that are unprecedented in human history, driven by our insatiable consumption and unsustainable production patterns, particularly food systems. The One Health approach is a pathway to synergistically addressing outcomes in term of health and sustainability, but gender issues at the One Health and biodiversity nexus are largely ignored.By examining the roles and responsibilities of Indigenous and Local People, and especially women, in conserving natural resources, and the social costs of living at the Human-Animal-Environment interface under current conservation strategies, we show that women bear a disproportionate health, poverty and climate burden, despite having pivotal roles in conserving biodiversity. To mitigate risks of emerging infectious diseases, food insecurity and climate change impacts, a gender perspective has previously been proposed, but implementation lags behind. Endemic zoonotic diseases, human-wildlife conflict and environmental pollution lack gender-sensitive frameworks. We demonstrate that women can be powerful agents for change at all levels of society, from communities to businesses, and policy-making institutions, but gender inequalities still persist.We develop a framework for mainstreaming a gender-responsive and rights-based One Health approach, in order to heal ourselves and nature. Using a leverage-points perspective, we suggest a change of paradigm, from the pursuit of GDP and over-consumption, to a focus on human well-being and their reconnection with healthy environments, using a One Health understanding of nature and health. We recommend learning from Indigenous People to re-position ourselves within nature and to better conserve biodiversity. We also propose integration of gender equity in leadership, the respect of human rights, women’s rights (access to health care, healthy food, land tenure, natural resources, education, and economic opportunities), and the rights of nature, through the implementation of gender-responsive and rights-based One Health Action Plans, at policy-making level, in the private sector and the civil society. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unveil deep socio-economic inequities in the wealthiest economies and the vital role of nature in supporting our health, we argue to seize this opportunity to build back better and improve resilience and sustainability by using a gender-responsive and rights-based One Health approach.

A Survey on One Health Approach in Colombia and Some Latin American Countries: From a Fragmented Health Organization to an Integrated Health Response to Global Challenges

“…Those populations have the worst indicators in health, in terms of the maternal mortality rates, access to clean water, to primary health services, to sanitation of waste management and good house quality ( 55 ). In this way, we agree with Garnier et al ( 56 ), pointing out that integrating a gender perspective together with the vision, traditional knowledge, and needs of Indigenous Peoples and Local communities, into a multi-sectoral OH approach, would greatly enhance biodiversity conservation, global health, and sustainable development outcomes. An organized approach to build collaborations between practitioners, community, and academia under the gender perspective, could improve environmental integration, biodiversity conservation, and OH implementation in Latin America, as women have a pivotal role in managing and conserving natural resources in the current challenges that emerge at the Human-Animal Environment interface ( 56 ).…”

“…In this way, we agree with Garnier et al ( 56 ), pointing out that integrating a gender perspective together with the vision, traditional knowledge, and needs of Indigenous Peoples and Local communities, into a multi-sectoral OH approach, would greatly enhance biodiversity conservation, global health, and sustainable development outcomes. An organized approach to build collaborations between practitioners, community, and academia under the gender perspective, could improve environmental integration, biodiversity conservation, and OH implementation in Latin America, as women have a pivotal role in managing and conserving natural resources in the current challenges that emerge at the Human-Animal Environment interface ( 56 ). We believe that in Latin America countries there are auspicious biological and cultural scenarios to integrate a framework of gender-responsive and right based OH Approach that could help reverse the environmental, health, and climate degradation and loss of biodiversity and doing this becoming an example of socio-ecological resilience.…”

Situation analysis on the roles and risks of wildlife in the emergence of human infectious diseases

“…A significant aspect of the wildlife trade, especially when it comes to regulation of trade, is the strong social and cultural dimension of species use and trade, and the fact that animals and plants and their derivative products can bring positive benefits to rural communities, playing an important role in their nutrition, health, livelihoods, and economy. Indigenous people own, occupy or manage land that holds 80% of the planet' s biodiversity and are associated with about 40% of all terrestrial protected areas and ecologically intact landscapes (Garnier et al, 2020;Rights and Resources Initiative, 2020). This relationship varies geographically and in some continents like Asia is no longer so prevalent.…”

Woman-Sensitive One Health Perspective in Four Tribes of Indigenous People From Latin America: Arhuaco, Wayuú, Nahua, and Kamëntsá

“…Indigenous people also own, occupy, or manage land, holds 80% of the planet's biodiversity and intersects with about 40% of all terrestrial protected areas and ecologically intact landscape. Biodiversity conservation and cultural diversity, therefore, cannot be dissociated from the stewardship of indigenous people over their natural resources, but this fundamental aspect of One Health has been neglected previously ( 5 , 6 ). Indigenous women have been recognized to play a key role in sustainable development, biodiversity conservation, peace building, and food security despite multiple socioeconomic gaps they face ( 6 – 10 ).…”

“…Biodiversity conservation and cultural diversity, therefore, cannot be dissociated from the stewardship of indigenous people over their natural resources, but this fundamental aspect of One Health has been neglected previously ( 5 , 6 ). Indigenous women have been recognized to play a key role in sustainable development, biodiversity conservation, peace building, and food security despite multiple socioeconomic gaps they face ( 6 – 10 ). There is little knowledge of their relative influence on management of the Human-Animal-Environment interface in a One Health context.…”