Researchers' call: Consider the risk of wildlife-spread diseases during ecosystem restoration

Researchers are urging adaptive ecosystem restoration, which implements key considerations for minimizing the zoonotic disease risk otherwise associated with restorations. A study led by the University of Helsinki is providing practical guidance for restoration project stakeholders.

Ecosystem restoration projects aim to restore biodiversity and associated compromised ecosystem services. Evidence is persuasive of the increased risks of zoonotic diseases with degradation and disturbances. However, the scientific literature on the mitigating effects of ecosystem restoration on zoonotic spillover is scattered, inconclusive and challenged by the lack of a conceptual framework and practical guidance.

“There is a strong need for an adaptive process offering practical guidance on how to conduct ecosystem restoration to maximize biodiversity and ecosystem services while minimizing the risk of zoonotic diseases potentially induced by these restorations”, explains University of Helsinki professor Frauke Ecke.

One Health-based adaptive process

To maximize the benefits and minimize the risks of ecosystem restoration, the researchers urge for a One Health-based adaptive process that includes key considerations for ecosystem restoration assessment.

“The process is founded in stakeholder engagement and co-creation. Ecosystem restoration projects need to develop targets for environment (diversity, climate, land use), animals (species community structure, pathogen and disease prevalence, vectors and reservoir abundance), and humans (cases of disease, exposure)”, says Ecke.

Failure to follow the approach may jeopardize global efforts to reverse worldwide biodiversity decline.

Climate change must be considered in restorations

Climate change can modify the cause-and-effect relationship of restorations. Meanwhile, environmental contaminants can bias the restoration outcome.

“When habitats recover from restoration, climate change can result in changes of species assemblages with knock-on effects on presence and abundance of reservoirs, non-reservoirs, vectors, and pathogens as well as zoonotic risk”, explains Heidelberg University professor Joacim Rocklöv.

Trophic rewilding can support ecosystem restoration

Ecosystem recovery tends to be protracted at best, particularly when using traditional restoration measures, which leaves critical niches for essential ecosystem functions unoccupied for extended periods.

“To mitigate this issue, trophic rewilding, a restoration concept focused on reintroducing ecologically significant species including predators, may provide a more immediate approach to restore ecosystem function and reduce disease risk”, says Ecke.

Horizon Europe Project BEPREP

The study was performed as part of the Horizon Europe Project BEPREP (Identification of best practices for biodiversity recovery and public health interventions to prevent future epidemics and pandemics). For more information about this and other ecosystem restoration projects, and elucidation of the link between biodiversity recovery and disease risk, see the project’s homepage.