Biodiversity Loss and Cholera Dynamics: Understanding the Ecological Dimensions of Disease Outbreaks—The Case of the 2022 Cholera Outbreak in Haiti

Background: Biodiversity loss resulting from deforestation is an escalating ecological and public health concern, particularly in low-resource settings in countries like Haiti, where waterborne diseases like cholera remain endemic. Forest ecosystems sustain biodiversity by providing habitat for diverse species, regulating hydrological cycles, and maintaining water quality. When tree cover is lost, these ecological functions are disrupted, triggering erosion of soil, runoff of nutrient and eutrophication that promote algal blooms and plankton proliferation, favorable habitats for Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium responsible for cholera. Deforestation also diminishes the natural filtration capacity of watersheds which is resulting in increased contamination of surface and ground water sources used for human consumption.

Aim: This study investigates the relationship between biodiversity decline, as measured through tree cover loss, and cholera incidence across seven departments in Haiti.

Method: Using regional tree cover loss data from 2001 to 2021 and cholera incidence data from the first year of the 2022 outbreak, obtained from the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population, spatial correlations between environmental degradation and disease occurrence were assessed.

Result: Results reveal that five of the seven departments exhibited higher cholera incidence rate in areas that experience the greatest tree cover loss. These findings suggest a strong linkage between deforestation and cholera vulnerability, highlighting how biodiversity degradation may amplify environmental conditions conducive to pathogen persistence and transmission.

Conclusion: Understanding the relationship between biodiversity loss and disease dynamics underscores the need for integrated approaches to environmental and public health management. Reforestation, watershed protection, and biodiversity conservation should be recognized not only as ecological priorities bit also as essential public health strategies. Preserving forest ecosystems and their ecological services can reduce cholera risk, enhance water security and strengthen community health resilience in vulnerable regions like Haiti.

Keywords: Biodiversity, Cholera, Tree Cover Loss, Haiti, Ecosystem Health