As ecosystem restoration gains momentum across Europe and beyond, an important question is emerging: can restoring nature also help prevent future disease outbreaks? This article explores how ecosystem restoration can contribute to reducing zoonotic risks by rebuilding biodiversity, restoring ecological processes and creating more resilient ecosystems. It highlights growing evidence that degraded landscapes can favour species more likely to host and transmit pathogens, while biodiverse ecosystems can help regulate disease dynamics.
The article proposes a practical framework for integrating health considerations into restoration planning. It identifies six key elements for success, including monitoring zoonotic risk, accounting for ecological recovery over time, incorporating trophic rewilding, applying robust evaluation methods and engaging local communities. Its central message is that restoration should be designed not only to recover biodiversity, but also to support healthier relationships between people, animals and ecosystems.
Authors: Ecke, F., Semenza, J. C., Buzan, E., Costa, F., Giorgi, E., Guo, J., Kirkpatrick, L., Knauf, S., Meheretu, Y., Singh, N., Sjödin, H., Timperley, M., Treskova, M., Ulrich, R. G., Zeppelini, C. G., & Rocklöv, J. (2025). Adaptive ecosystem restoration to mitigate zoonotic risks. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 9, 1979–1988. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02869-3