Global change increases zoonotic risk, COVID-19 changes risk perceptions: a plea for urban nature connectedness

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ABSTRACT

Ebola and COVID-19 are textbook emerging diseases influenced by humans. Ebola is often considered a result of exotic nature threatening health. Conversely, COVID-19, emerged in an urban environment, entails risks worldwide. Geographical, virological and demographic differences influence risk perceptions and responses to both diseases. Because ecological understanding of urban human-animal relations improves disease risk assessment, we call for ethnographical exploration of this interface. ‘Global Urban Confinement Measures’ impact health by influencing disease perceptions, limiting nature access, and strengthening inequities. To prevent and mitigate zoonotic pandemics and their consequences, policy should promote nature connectedness, concert with stakeholders, and integrate nature-city-inhabitant interactions.

KEYWORDS:

• Eco Health
• One Health
• urban environmental justice

Acknowledgments

Capacity development and bridge building within the Belgian One Health Network (www.biodiversity.be/onehealth) facilitated the preparation of this commentary. Lucie Ongena (Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences) is cordially thanked for providing Figure 1, Nikol Kmentová (Masaryk University/Hasselt University) and Armando J. Cruz-Laufer (Hasselt University) for suggestions on Figure 1, and Leila Demarest (Leiden University) for thorough feedback on the manuscript. The comments of anonymous reviewers are gratefully acknowledged.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Maarten P.M. Vanhove

Maarten P. M. Vanhove, biologist and social-cultural anthropologist, holds a PhD in Sciences (KU Leuven). He was researcher at the Royal Museum for Central Africa, the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, and Masaryk University. Subsequently, he worked on capacity development as a biodiversity policy scientist at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, before becoming curator of worms at the Finnish Museum of Natural History within the University of Helsinki. Currently, he is assistant professor in Zoology/Aquatic Biodiversity at Hasselt University. He studies biodiversity policy, and parasite genetics and morphology in evolutionary and conservation-relevant contexts, focusing on the Mediterranean and Africa.

Séverine Thys

Séverine Thys, medical anthropologist, master in Public Health (ULB-ULg-UCL) and PhD in Veterinary Sciences (UGhent), was researcher at the Institute of Tropical Medicine (Antwerp), on perceptions of zoonotic diseases in African and Asian rural communities. She coordinated a strategic network to foster intersectoral collaboration and promote the ‘One Health’ concept (Belgian Development Cooperation) and was co-investigator in three FP7 EU projects (ICONZ, ADVANZ, NEXTGEN). She was deployed in Guinea for GOARN (WHO) during the EVD epidemic in West Africa and works now at the Centre for Evaluation of Vaccinations and the Global Health Institute at UA for the EBOVAC3 project.

Ellen Decaestecker

Ellen Decaestecker, biologist, was postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre of Immunity, Infection and Evolution (Edinburgh University). She is professor (KU Leuven, Biology Department) and teaches Ecology, Evolution, Comparative, Human and Zoological Biology and Animal Diversity. She is president of the Royal Belgian Zoological Society, member of the KU Leuven Research Council, FWO BIO3 panel and was scientific member of the Belgian Governmental Committee Health and Environment. She engages in societally relevant science, urgently needed to solve problems associated with global change and sustainability. She is specialized in host-microbiome interactions with a focus on host-parasite coevolution.

Nicolas Antoine-Moussiaux

Nicolas Antoine-Moussiaux, doctor in veterinary medicine, holds a PhD in veterinary sciences (University of Liège). After a master in Rural sociology and economics (Catholic University of Louvain/Gembloux Agro-Bio tech), he engaged into an interdisciplinary project about surveillance of avian influenza in Vietnam with CIRAD (French institute of research for international agricultural development), while still pursuing a research agenda about animal genetic resources management in Africa. On this basis, as senior lecturer at University of Liège, he has developed a master program to operationalize One Health as integrated management of health risks, and a research thread along the same line.

Jeroen De Man

Jeroen De Man, a medical doctor specialized in primary care (KU Leuven), holds a master’s in global public health policy (UNC-Chapel Hill) and a postgraduate certificate in tropical medicine and international health (ITM, Antwerp). Jeroen was working as a family doctor in a disadvantaged area in Brussels. He lived and worked in rural India to strengthen the local health system. He was a researcher at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp. Currently employed by the University of Antwerp, he lives in Cape Town where he studies health behavior among people with diabetes living in urban slums.

Jean Hugé

Jean Hugé, sustainability scientist, holds a Master in BioScience engineering and in Conflict and Development (Ghent University) and a PhD in Sciences (Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Université Libre de Bruxelles). He is currently Assistant Professor in Environmental Governance at the Open University of the Netherlands, and also teaches at Hasselt University and Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He studies sustainability assessment, conservation conflicts, biodiversity governance and participatory natural resources management, with a focus on coastal tropical ecosystems.

Hans Keune

Hans Keune, political scientist (University of Amsterdam) with a PhD in Environmental Sciences (University of Antwerp), works on critical complexity, OneHealth/EcoHealth. Works at the Belgian Biodiversity Platform, the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO) and is professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Antwerp where he coordinates the Chair Care and the Natural Living Environment. Coordinated the organization of the European OneHealth/EcoHealth workshop (Brussels, Oct. 2016) and co-coordinates the Belgian One Health Network. Was Lead Author on the IPBES Regional Assessment Europe – Central Asia where he mainly contributed on health.

Ann Sterckx

Ann Sterckx, ecopsychologist, holds a Master in Organizational Psychology (Ghent University). In her work she specialised in Ecopsychology and Ecotherapy. Currently she runs EarthWise Education, a Learning Centre for ecopsychology and nature connectedness. Ann is an active member of the global International Ecopsychology Society. Since 2019 she is PhD candidate at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Antwerp, in the framework of the Chair of Care and the Natural Living Environment. Her PhD research focuses on the relationship between nature connectedness, self-care and professional practice.

Luc Janssens de Bisthoven

Luc Janssens de Bisthoven, biologist, holds a PhD in Sciences (KU Leuven) as aquatic ecotoxicologist. He was lecturer at Kenyatta University and researcher at Lund University, Rhodes University, University of Aveiro and Beijing University. He worked as independent consultant on water quality surveillance in Germany and as programme officer at the Flemish Council for InterUniversity Development Cooperation (VLIR-UOS) with focus on East Africa and Suriname. Now he is guest speaker at VUB and UHasselt and coordinator of CEBioS at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, on capacity building in developing countries on biodiversity conservation and policy, with focus on Benin, Burundi, DR Congo and Vietnam.