At the World Biodiversity Forum in Davos, Dr Lucinda Kirkpatrick led discussions on the links between ecosystem change and planetary health. The event also marked the introduction of the BioAgora One Health Knowledge Exchange Network (KEN), a platform connecting researchers and policymakers to strengthen the integration of One Health approaches into European policy and decision-making.
The network aims to foster collaboration across disciplines and create stronger links between science and policy. Addressing interconnected challenges such as biodiversity loss, climate change and land-use change requires coordinated action that bridges disciplinary boundaries and supports healthier ecosystems, animals and people.
“One Health is a term that is increasingly being used, but it is a hugely complex process, as land use change, climate change and biodiversity loss all impact animal, plant and ultimately, human health. To me, understanding how we can drive ecosystem improvement that also re-establishes disease regulation into our landscapes is critical to deal with the polycrises we face, but to do this effectively we need to work across disciplinary silos. Conferences like the World Biodiversity Forum and the Knowledge Exchange Networks hopefully give us those spaces.”
— Dr Lucinda Kirkpatrick