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.

Keywords: Biodiversity; COVID-19; Climate change; Gender; Health; Human rights; Indigenous; Nature; One Health; Resilience; Women.

Fig. 1

A framework for mainstreaming gender-responsive and rights-based One Health to deliver improved well-being for all and healing of nature. The framework uses a leverage points perspective for sustainability in complex systems [119, 120]. We suggest that the two most important leverage points to help heal nature and ourselves are: 1. A change of mindset and paradigm, going from a pursuit of wealth, GDP and overconsumption, towards a goal of well-being of humans and their re-connection to healthy and diverse ecosystems, using a holistic One Health understanding of health and nature. This would build resilience in the face of climate change and risks of future pandemics. We recommend learning from Indigenous People to re-position ourselves within nature and better conserve biodiversity. 2. The integration of gender equity in leadership and the respects of the rights of nature, women and the most vulnerable, including minority ethnic groups and Indigenous People. This leverage point requires actions at all levels (boxes on the left): Implementing a gender-responsive and rights-based One Health Action Plans in policy-making institutions and businesses, as well as a fair access to natural resources and landscapes, clean air, water and energy, nutritious fresh food, health care, land tenure and economic opportunities for women, ethnic minorities and Indigenous people by securing their rights. Action on these two levers would greatly contribute to developing a Green Economy, to conserving and restoring biodiversity and adapting to climate change, and to reducing risks of future pandemics (see description in the body text and supporting evidence in Table 1)