The Lancet One Health Commission (published in July 2025) provides a comprehensive framework linking human, animal, plant and ecosystem health under a single “One Health” approach. The Commission argues that human health is inseparable from ecosystem health, including wildlife, plants, soil, water, and air. It further identifies a set of interlinked global crises—notably infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, non-communicable disease, climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss—as co-occurring threats driven by industrialisation and environmental degradation. Biodiversity is treated as foundational to health in the following ways:
- loss of biodiversity disrupts ecosystems, increasing risks such as zoonotic disease spillover, food insecurity, and reduced resilience to environmental change.
- Healthy, diverse ecosystems provide essential services (e.g., clean water, stable climates, nutrient cycles) that underpin human and animal well-being.
In addition, the Commission promotes a socioecological systems perspective, meaning policies must consider interactions between ecological integrity (including biodiversity) and health outcomes. It also calls for transdisciplinary, cross-sector action (health, agriculture, environment, economics) to protect biodiversity as part of improving global health.
Not mentioned in the Commission but increasingly recognised is that biodiversity plays also a role in supporting brain health through ecological, psychological, and physiological pathways. Exposure to biodiverse natural environments is associated with reduced stress, improved mood, enhanced cognitive function, and lower risk of psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression. Mechanisms underlying these effects include increased opportunities for physical activity, social interaction, microbiome enrichment through environmental microbial exposure, and restoration of attention and emotional regulation. From a neurological perspective, contact with diverse natural environments may influence brain structure and function by reducing chronic stress, lowering inflammation, and supporting neuroplasticity. Urban environments with higher levels of biodiversity, such as green spaces with varied plant and animal species, have been linked to improved cognitive development in children and better mental well-being in adults. Overall, biodiversity conservation may therefore contribute not only to environmental sustainability but also to public brain health, highlighting the importance of integrating ecological and brain health policies.
How to cite: Winkler, A. S.: Biodiversity and Health with an Emphasis on Brain Health, World Biodiversity Forum 2026, Davos, Switzerland, 14–19 Jun 2026, WBF2026-1037, https://doi.org/10.5194/wbf2026-1037, 2026.
