Integrating Biodiversity and Health:

Findings from the IPBES Nexus Report

Prof. Thijs Kuiken and Dr. Serge Morand

Chapter 5.4 Lead Authors

22 May 2025, UNEP Asia Pacific Office

www.ipbes.net

The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity & �Ecosystem Services

#NexusAssessment

Introduction to the Nexus Assessment�Prof. Thijs Kuiken

1.

• Produced over a period of 3 years
• 3 author meetings and 4 meetings to advance the Summary for Policymakers
• 2 external reviews and 1 additional Government review of the Summary for Policymakers
• Draws on 6,500 sources of knowledge
• Peer-reviewed, literature, grey literature and �Indigenous and local knowledge
• References and data sources from all IPBES �regions
• Considers the IPBES conceptual framework
• Recognizes and considers different world views, �values and knowledge systems
• Assessment team
• Produced by a group of 165 selected experts
• Assisted by over 70 contributing authors
• Supported by a technical support unit

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Nexus assessment team

Third author meeting, ICIMOD, Nepal

Production of the Nexus Assessment

Global crises are interconnected

• The global crises of biodiversity loss, water and food insecurity, health risks and climate change are interconnected – our responses to address them are not
• Theses crises interact and exacerbate each other in ways that make separate efforts to address them ineffective and counterproductive

Summary for Policymakers, Figure SPM.1

• There are five nexus elements:
• Biodiversity
• Water
• Food
• Health
• Climate change
• The elements, including their social, economic and environmental components:
• Interact across ecosystems, geographic regions and scales;
• Influence each other (interlinkages) and
• Depend on each other to function (interdependencies) – a change in one element may impact another element
• These interactions, interlinkages and dependencies are not well understood; thus, decisions addressing the crises and nexus elements are taken in isolation – a siloed approach

Each of these global crises is linked to a nexus element

Chapter 1, Figure 1.1

Siloed policy approaches exacerbate global crises and their impacts

• Single-sector policies and decision-making can:
• Lead to unintended consequences and trade-offs among the nexus elements
• Exacerbate the global crises of biodiversity loss, water and food insecurity, health risks and climate change
• Perpetuate inequalities among groups and within and among regions or countries; those more directly reliant on natural resources are the most vulnerable to environmental change
• Nexus approaches are therefore crucial to avoid unintended consequences and unplanned trade-offs, resolve global crises, and support just and sustainable futures

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How the assessment addresses nexus element interlinkages

Framing the nexus

• Chapters 1 to 3
• Introduction
• Past, current, and future nexus element interactions

Pathways to sustainable futures

• Chapters 4 to 7
• Policy and sociopolitical options to sustainably govern and manage the nexus elements
• Options for actors in the biodiversity, water, food, health and climate change (including energy) sectors to sustainably govern and manage the nexus elements
• Sustainable finance options
• Synthesis of options, including knowledge, technology and capacity gaps

Chapter 1, Figure 1.6

Summary for Policymakers, Figure SPM.3 - panel A

Indirect drivers are intensifying direct drivers

Summary for Policymakers, Figure SPM.3 - panel B

Indirect drivers are impacting nexus elements

Future nexus interactions

186 individual scenarios from 52 studies assessed

• Continuation of current trends in direct and indirect drivers (e.g., lifestyles intensive in material and energy consumption) will result in substantial negative outcomes for biodiversity, water, food and health while exacerbating climate change
• Scenarios that prioritize a single nexus element without regard to other elements will result in trade-offs across the nexus
• Positive outcomes for people and nature are feasible and include integrated and timely adoption of multiple response options

Summary for Policymakers, Figure SPM.5, panel A

Nexus response options

• Nexus response options are actions or policies that support effective, sustainable, synergistic governance and management of the nexus elements and their interlinkages
• The options assessed represent a range of solutions available to actors in multiple sectors, including Indigenous Peoples and local communities – there is a role for everyone, collaboration is key
• The options can be applied at different spatial and temporal scales and in different ecological, social, political, and economic contexts
• Many response options already exist that address nexus �interactions – over 70 response options are assessed in the Chapter 5 sector-based subchapters of the report

Nexus response options

Conserve ecosystems

Restore ecosystems

Manage ecosystems

Consume sustainably

Reduce pollution

Integrate planning and governance

Manage risk

Ensure rights and equity

Align financing

Others

Summary for Policymakers, Figure SPM.7

Response options are available worldwide

Chapter 5.6, Figure 5.6.8

Many response options benefit multiple nexus elements

Response options also support global policy frameworks

Summary for Policymakers, Figure SPM.10, panel C

• Sustainable Development Goals
• Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework �targets
• Paris Agreement long-term goals �for climate change mitigation and adaptation

• Current systems invest $7 trillion per year in activities that damage biodiversity and the other nexus elements
• Opportunities to transform economic and financial systems include:
• Strengthening the capacity of decision makers to understand and respond to the connections between economic and ecological systems
• Enabling the use sustainable finance and economic instruments
• Shifting financial incentives by increasing the costs of causing harm to nature and improving returns on investments that benefit nature
• Inclusion of diverse values and actors in economic and financial decision-making

Transforming economic and financial systems

Summary for Policymakers, Figure SPM.12

• Nexus governance is:
• Integrative
• Inclusive
• Equitable
• Accountable
• Coordinated and collaborative
• Adaptive
• Nexus governance:
• Enables successful implementation of response options
• Provides opportunities for scaling response options, ultimately amplifying their benefits

Governing the nexus for achieving just and sustainable futures

Summary for Policymakers, Figure SPM.11

• A road map for nexus action can be used by a wide range of actors in multiple sectors to work collaboratively towards solutions to help achieve just and sustainable futures
• There is a role for everyone in implementing nexus approaches

A road map for nexus action

Summary for Policymakers, Figure SPM.13

The Nexus Assessment

• Provides decision-makers, including policymakers and a range of actors, with the best-available evidence on the interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food, health and climate change
• Provides a range of response options that can be adapted to different ecological, social, political, and economic contexts
• Provides guidance on how economic, financing and governance systems can evolve towards holistic and integrated approaches
• Recognizes and emphasizes the role different actors have in addressing global crises
• Informs more integrated decisions and actions to support multilateral agreements
• Stresses the need for urgent action to address global crises

Relevance and summary

Nexus Assessment health findings�Dr. Serge Morand

2.

Past and current trends in health

• People are living longer – mortality rates malnutrition life expectancy
• Prevalence of non-infectious chronic diseases has increased
• Infectious diseases account for 16% of all deaths globally and 44% of deaths in low-resource countries
• Diabetes and obesity have escalated in recent decades
• Mental health conditions have significantly increased globally

Chapter 2, Figure 2.13

COVID-19

Trends in direct drivers of biodiversity loss

Chapter 2, Figure 2.4

• Direct drivers of biodiversity loss affect human health
• Land- and sea-use change
• Unsustainable exploitation
• Climate change
• Pollution
• Invasive alien species

Drivers of biodiversity loss – examples of health impacts

• Land- and sea-use change
• Decreased water quality and quantity
• Drives infectious disease emergence
• Unsustainable exploitation
• Decreased food security
• Loss of livelihoods
• Climate change
• Injury and loss of life due to extreme weather �events
• Stress, anxiety
• Increased pathogen dispersal
• Pollution
• 9 million premature deaths in 2019 (16% of all deaths worldwide) attributed to air and water pollution
• Invasive alien species (IAS)
• 85% of IAS negatively affect human well-being (e.g., vectors for infectious zoonotic diseases, alteration of cultural landscapes)

Photo by Paula Prist

Nexus Assessment chapter 5.4

• 15 health response options assessed against multiple criteria
• Evidence for implementation worldwide
• Technologically feasible
• Positive impacts on nexus elements
• Social implications
• Economic implications
• Alignment with international policy frameworks
• Equity
• Potential for transformative change

Photo by Paula Prist

Options for delivering sustainable approaches to health

Summary for Policymakers,

Figure SPM.8 (partial figure)

Health response options positively impact all nexus elements

• Based on available evidence, nearly all impacts of health response options on the nexus elements are positive
• No negative impacts
• No trade-offs between elements for a given option
• Multiple nexus element �benefits for a given option

• Greening of urban and peri-urban areas provides multiple benefits to human health and well-being and biodiversity
• Reduced cardiovascular, respiratory and heat-related mortality
• Improved mental health and lower anxiety
• Improved air and water quality
• Disaster risk reduction (e.g., flood mitigation)
• Habitat for plants and animals
• Singapore – a biophilic “City in a Garden”
• Parks, gardens, greenways for conservation and�connecting people with nature
• Green roofs and hanging gardens reduce urban�heat island effects
• Healthcare facilities with therapeutic gardens

H09: Urban green infrastructure

• Singapore

H10: Forest conservation for health

• Australia

• Protects biodiversity while supporting human health and well-being
• Water and food security
• Forest-based livelihoods
• Climate change mitigation and adaptation
• Australia – Caring for Country
• Land and sea management by Indigenous Peoples
• Inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in policy, planning, and �implementation, drawing on Indigenous and local knowledge
• Positive outcomes for nature and human health and well-being
• Victoria, Australia – Healthy Parks Healthy People
• Healthy parks are fundamental to vibrant, healthy communities
• Developed to support physical, mental, spiritual health and �well-being, social inclusion, healthy aging, and child �development

• A systems approach to human health and watershed management
• Place-based responses that address physical, mental, and cultural health and well-being
• Protection of catchments provides clean water, preventing water-related diseases and increasing water security, and conserves biodiversity
• Disaster risk reduction (e.g., reduced landslides)
• Fiji – Watershed Interventions for Systems Health (WISH)
• Preventative action to reduce the risk of water-related�diseases and natural disasters within multiple �catchments
• Participatory processes and co-design of interventions�to ensure culturally acceptable actions
• Enabling and enhancing local environmental�stewardship
• Government and community collaboration to�improve governance of watershed systems

H12: Integrated watershed-health interventions

• Fiji

H13: Health impact assessments

• Thailand

• Decision-making tool to assess how a policy, programme or project may potentially affect population health
• Underpinned by stakeholder engagement, equity, sustainable development and the ethical use of evidence
• Emphasis is on policymaking processes, social learning, governance and capacity strengthening
• Supports decision-making that promotes health and well-being
• Empowers communities to participate in public policy processes
• Can improve the consideration of health outcomes for policies and projects linked to the nexus elements (e.g., biodiversity conservation, water management, agriculture, climate change)
• Thailand – community health impact assessments
• Enshrined in the Constitution and National Health Act
• Assessment of health impacts from 1) public policies and 2) projects or activities that may affect environmental quality, natural resources and human health (mandatory)
• Individuals and communities have the right to request and �participate in assessments under the National Health Act

H14: The One Health approach

• Addresses interlinkages among humans, animals and ecosystems in the context of health challenges, such as emerging infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance and food safety, to safeguard human, animal and ecosystem health
• Aligns with nexus approaches to address interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food, health, and climate change
• Addressing issues linked to the nexus elements (e.g., biodiversity conservation, wildlife trade, deforestation, sustainable land use) within One Health approaches can strengthen pandemic prevention
• One Health approaches have been successful in addressing antimicrobial�resistance, water-related illnesses, neglected tropical diseases, and plant �pests and diseases in forests and croplands
• One Health can strengthen the protection of ecosystems, with positive�outcomes for people and nature
• One Health approaches are cost-effective but policy coordination across�sectors and lack of funding for preventive approaches to human, animal �and ecosystem health remain challenging

Collectively, the health response options support the achievement of:

• All 17 Sustainable Development Goals, with four response options each supporting the achievement of more than five goals
• 22 of the 23 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework targets, �with 10 response options supporting the achievement of more than five targets
• The Paris Agreement long-term global goals for climate change mitigation and adaptation

Health response options support global policy frameworks

Relevance of health findings for global initiatives

The Nexus Assessment:

• Strengthens the evidence base for nature’s contributions to people and the interlinkages between biodiversity and health
• Provides a range of response options for actors within the health sector
• Actions and policy options to facilitate the realization biodiversity and health co-benefits
• Collaborative, inclusive, adaptive sector-specific and cross-sectoral actions that can be implemented at different levels and on different scales with benefits for biodiversity, health and the other nexus elements

The findings are applicable to:

• The integrated, collaborative work of the Quadripartite (FAO, WHO, WOAH, UNEP) to address interlinkages between and support human, animal, plant and ecosystem health
• The scientific and advisory work undertaken by the One Health High Level Expert Panel in support of the Quadripartite
• Activities taken under the six action tracks of the One Health Joint Plan of Action
• Pandemic prevention, preparedness and readiness under the newly adopted WHO Pandemic Agreement
• Implementation of The Convention on Biological Diversity Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health

IPBES website Nexus Assessment page

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https://www.ipbes.net/nexus-assessment

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