Menu

Global Scans · Biodiversity Loss · Signal Scanner

The Emerging Link Between Biodiversity Loss and Infectious Disease Risks: A Weak Signal with Broad Implications

The ongoing decline in global biodiversity signals a potentially underrecognized risk that may reshape health, environmental, and economic landscapes worldwide. Recent observations suggest that the loss of natural ecosystems and species diversity could facilitate the rise of infectious diseases that threaten humans, wildlife, and plant health. Beyond climate change and pollution, this weak signal of change is poised to become a disruptive trend affecting multiple sectors, including public health, agriculture, conservation, and finance, demanding a multidisciplinary, foresight-driven approach.

What’s Changing?

Recent scientific and policy developments underscore a growing global concern: biodiversity loss is increasingly linked to heightened exposure to infectious diseases. This correlation stems from complex interactions between humans, animals, and ecosystems that are destabilized when biodiversity diminishes.

First, the widespread degradation of biodiversity hotspots—such as rainforests and mangrove ecosystems—is accelerating. Deforestation in critical areas like Indonesia’s coal expansion zones continues to threaten habitats essential for species survival and ecological balance. Such pressure risks species extinction and disrupts ecosystem services crucial for disease regulation (Energy Tracker Asia).

Second, global investor coalitions managing trillions of dollars have mobilized to curb deforestation, as demonstrated by the Belem Investor Statement on Rainforests. This investor-driven initiative calls for an end to deforestation by 2030, seeking to stabilize ecosystem services and limit human-wildlife contact that may lead to zoonotic disease spillover (WINSSolutions).

Third, species directly affected by biodiversity loss, such as Africa's forest elephants, face pressures that amplify the risk of zoonotic pathogen transmission. Habitat fragmentation and increased human-wildlife conflict can facilitate novel disease emergence by increasing interface zones where pathogens could jump between species (WSU Guardian).

Finally, the degradation of mangrove ecosystems—key coastal buffers affecting 33% of global mangroves—is driven primarily by climate change but also by deforestation, dam construction, and pollution. Mangroves contribute to regional biodiversity richness and act as natural disease regulation corridors. Their decline could further destabilize local disease ecologies (EduRev).

These developments highlight an interconnected trend: ecosystem degradation is weakening natural barriers that have historically limited disease spread. The concomitant rise in invasive species and pollutants compounds these risks, potentially creating new reservoirs and vectors for infectious agents.

Why is this Important?

The implications of biodiversity loss as a driver of infectious diseases are profound and multifaceted. They affect:

  • Public Health: The increased incidence of zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19, Ebola, and others suggests that ecosystem degradation can challenge disease control and prevention efforts globally. Reduced biodiversity intensifies the interface for pathogens to traverse boundaries from wildlife to humans, increasing pandemic risks.
  • Agriculture and Food Security: Crop diseases and livestock infections, amplified by invasive species and disrupted ecosystems, threaten food production stability. The Amazon Soy Moratorium debate exemplifies tensions between agricultural expansion and deforestation-related disease risks (Food Ingredients First).
  • Financial and Investment Decisions: Widespread recognition of biodiversity’s role in disease risk has begun influencing financial sectors, as seen in coordinated investor actions to exclude deforestation-linked risks. Financial institutions may increasingly integrate biodiversity impact assessments into risk management and portfolio planning, shaping capital flows.
  • Policy and Governance: The intersection of climate, biodiversity, and health policy is complex, with emerging tensions in areas like EU-driven land demand risking “green neo-colonialism” and thus potentially undermining local climate and conservation goals in regions such as Brazil (Carbon Removal Weekly Summary).

These impacts suggest that biodiversity loss is not merely an environmental concern but a systemic risk with potential to disrupt global health security, economic stability, and ecosystem-dependent industries.

Implications

If biodiversity loss continues unmitigated, it may accelerate the frequency and scale of infectious disease outbreaks, with ripple effects across multiple domains:

  • Cross-sectoral Risk Management: Businesses, governments, and NGOs could benefit from integrated approaches that recognize biodiversity’s role in disease ecology. Investments in ecosystem restoration may function as a preventive strategy to reduce future health crises.
  • Innovations in Surveillance and Early Warning: Monitoring weak signals such as shifts in species populations, invasive species introduction, habitat fragmentation, and novel pathogen emergence may enable earlier intervention in disease outbreaks that originate outside traditional health systems.
  • Shifts in Supply Chains and Land Use Planning: Agriculture, forestry, and resource extraction industries may need to adopt practices that minimize habitat disruption and balance economic activities with conservation. The Amazon Soy Moratorium underscores how consumer and industry pressure can align to protect ecosystems.
  • Financial Sector Engagement: Investors controlling trillions of assets could increasingly demand transparency on biodiversity risks and influence corporate behaviour. This shift might redirect capital towards sustainable practices and innovation in disease risk reduction linked to biodiversity.
  • Policy Integration: Multi-level governance frameworks that jointly address climate change, biodiversity loss, and public health may emerge as priority areas. Avoiding scenarios of “green neo-colonialism” requires equitable, inclusive policy mechanisms that respect local communities and ecosystem services.

Collectively, these implications point to the necessity of reframing biodiversity not only as an environmental asset but also as a critical factor in strategic intelligence and scenario planning for future health and economic stability.

Questions

  • How can organizations integrate biodiversity indicators into existing risk frameworks to better anticipate disease-related disruptions?
  • What early warning systems can detect ecosystem changes that precede infectious disease outbreaks, and how accessible can these be made across sectors?
  • How might financial institutions refine investment criteria to incorporate biodiversity-linked health risks without exacerbating inequity in developing regions?
  • In what ways can multilateral governance structures balance global biodiversity conservation objectives with local rights and economic needs to avoid unintended negative consequences?
  • What cross-sector partnerships could accelerate innovations in ecosystem-based disease prevention, and how might technology support these efforts?

Keywords

biodiversity loss; infectious diseases; zoonotic diseases; ecosystem services; deforestation; financial risk; public health; early warning systems; supply chain disruption; land use planning

Bibliography

Briefing Created: 08/11/2025
See Evidence

Login

REMIND ME