BIODIVERSITY AND HEALTH: COVID - 19

Biodiversity and Health: COVID - 19 

The work of the Belgian Community of Practice on Biodiversity & Health (COPBH) related to the COVID-19 pandemic context.

Policy Brief: Key Belgian One Health Lessons from the COVID-19 Crisis

This policy brief is the result of a collaborative work carried out under the initiative of the Belgian Biodiversity Platform, Sciensano and the Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment (Belgium) within the framework of the Belgian One Health (BEOH) Network and is supported on its principle by the Chief Veterinary Officer of Belgiumand the President of the FPS Health. Its contents were compiled during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, and started from the outcomes of the Belgian One Health (BEOH) COVID-19 survey, initiated by BEOH in 2020, but were further developed within the network, incorporating follow-up discussions and practical reflections. BEOH is aware of the fact that some of the following messages are not completely novel.

Download and Read the full Policy Brief. 

LESSONS LEARNT FROM COVID19, Results from a Belgian One Health Survey

Following up from our 2020 survey on the COVID19 experiences from the Belgian One Health community, the information was collated and we present some overall lessons from the COVID-19 crisis. There were 45 responses to the survey, from participants across a wide range of backgrounds (including One Health, Agriculture, Social Sciences etc). Most have been involved in COVID-19 work within the areas of science and policy. All participants know about the EU Green Deal, particularly the thematic areas of Biodiversity, Farm to Fork, Adaptation to climate change strategy, and Circular Economy Action Plan.

Download and Read the full report. 

The work of the community of practice on Biodiversity and One Health

On the forefront of our work with Biodiversity and One Health health is the Belgian One Health Network which co-coordinated and facilitated the launch of the Belgian One Health Network. We launched the Community of Practice on Biodiversity and Health in 2011 and we have, since then, developed a growing network of stakeholders at both Belgian and global levels. The Network focuses both on nature related human health risks and benefits.

Please read the full report here.

Resources on the relationship between COVID-19 within the context of Biodiversity and Health

2020

• Integrative policy development for healthier people and ecosystems: a European case analysis
• 4 Questions about OneHealth 

2019

• The good, the bad and the ugly: framing debates on nature in a One Health community
• Integrated Approaches to Health: Concepts and Experiences in Framing, Integration and Evaluation of One Health and EcoHealth. Lausanne: Frontiers Media.
• Integrative concepts and practices of health in transdisciplinary social ecology
• European Nature & Health network initiatives, In: Melissa Marselle, Jutta Stadler, Horst Korn, Katherine Irvine and Aletta Bonn (eds) Biodiversity and Health in the face of climate change

2018

•  A One Health evaluation framework, In: Integrated approaches to health : a handbook for the evaluation of One Health

2012 - 2017

• The need for European OneHealth/ EcoHealth networks
• The Need For Enhanced Capacity Building In Belgium On Biodiversity & Health Science And Policy
• Science–Policy Challenges For Biodiversity, Public Health And Urbanization: Examples From Belgium
• Inventory of Research Needs and Ideas