Restoring ecosystem health to improve human health and well-being: physicians and restoration ecologists unite in a common cause

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Many challenges we face today are intimately linked to and derive from the biophysical and ecological degradation underway in almost all ecosystems on Earth. Responding effectively will require (1) changes in our behavior as citizens, parents, and consumers, (2) a shift to more ecologically sound technologies, taxes, and laws, and (c) an increase in long-term investments in small-, medium-, and large-scale ecological restoration projects. The health and integrity of terrestrial, coastal, and marine ecosystems directly affect human health in many ways, thus providing a powerful incentive for restoration. The recognition of the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem health in the daily lives of individuals is becoming more widespread, at least among scientists and policy makers, as is the drive to achieve widespread endorsement and participation at landscape/seascape, national, international, and planetary scales. However, to accelerate the process, the general public must be better informed and committed to participation. Ecosystem health is not a new idea but it is timely to revive discussion and expand the use of the concept in view of rapidly spreading national and international commitments to large-scale ecosystem restoration and healthy landscapes, e.g., at the UNFCCC COP (Convention of the Parties) in December 2015 in Paris, the UNCCD COP in October 2015, and the COP13 of the Conventions on Biological Diversity in December 2016. When discussing restoration, the language of clinical medicine provides strong metaphors that may be useful for communication, education, research, lobbying, and outreach. Because of the links between ecosystem health and human health, physicians and health care workers in general have an important role to play alongside restoration scientists and practitioners. Furthermore, insight from the fields of clinical medical practice, research, and public health could also provide lessons for ecosystem restoration practitioners. Together, the two groups could form a potent interdisciplinary team. The authors, two ecologists and a physician, explore the use of ecosystem health as a metaphor related to human health and discuss the growing evidence of direct and indirect impacts of ecosystem dysfunction on human health.

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Enhance Plant Diversity, Density and Productivity of Spring Ephemeral Community in Desert Ecosystem

“…Numerous reports deal with ecological restoration through the establishment of planted vegetation and indicate that biodiversity restoration is an important condition for regional ecological health (Odum, 1989;Aronson et al, 2016). Biodiversity is not only closely related to biomass production (Tilman et al, 1996;Bullock et al, 2001;Cardinale et al, 2013), but is also related to ecosystem stability (Tilman, 1999;Eisenhauer et al, 2016).…”

Time for a paradigm shift toward a restorative culture

“…Productivity‐based approaches to environmental ill‐health and disrepair are insufficient and, indeed, wrong‐headed, if the next decade—and the coming century—are to be defined by ecological repair and a paradigm shift at the multinational and global scales. They constitute more of the same thinking only at bigger scales, a procedure often referred to as “technofix.” Overt focus on productivity‐based outcomes overlooks potential for achieving lasting social and human health benefits associated with the restoration of natural ecosystems (Aronson et al , ), and risks misuse of the Declaration (e.g. the misrepresentation of commercial silviculture or single‐ecosystem, service‐focused activities such as carbon storage as bona fide ecological or ecosystem restorative activities).…”

“…We, and the EcoHealth Network (see above), propose a new direction for the future of global society during the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. By coupling the foundational philosophies of restoration ecology, ecological economics, and associated disciplines including medical science and public health (Aronson et al ), we can move toward an era of globally connected and science‐driven sustainable development that has a dual focus—ecosystem health and human health. This requires a new mind set or paradigm shift toward what we term a “restorative culture.”…”

Networked and embedded scientific experiments will improve restoration outcomes

“…The potential use of timber and non‐timber forest products (Shackleton and Shackleton ), and the indirect benefits of enhancing human well‐being through restoration (Aronson et al . ), could be more accurately determined by experimentation (Mills et al . ).…”

“…Projects could supply seed resources, and embedded experiments could test how to provide sustainable seed harvest for future projects (Broadhurst et al 2016). The potential use of timber and non-timber forest products (Shackleton and Shackleton 2004), and the indirect benefits of enhancing human wellbeing through restoration (Aronson et al 2016), could be more accurately determined by experimentation . Investigating the dynamics of restoration interventions via experimentation would help quantify the provision of biodiversity and ecosystem services (Benayas et al 2009).…”