Summary
This paper critiques the imprecise use of health terminology in global sustainability policy and argues that biodiversity is fundamentally mischaracterised as an environmental co-benefit rather than a foundational determinant of health. The authors contend that biodiversity underpins multiple health outcomes—from disease regulation and immune system development to food security and climate resilience—and that recognising this link strengthens the conceptual coherence and practical implementation of One Health and Planetary Health frameworks. They call for future health and sustainability policies to explicitly integrate biodiversity as a component of preventive health systems rather than treating it as a peripheral environmental concern.
Regional applicability
This is a global policy-level analysis applicable to United Kingdom health and sustainability governance. UK policy frameworks (DEFRA, DHSC, UKHSA) increasingly reference One Health, but this paper's argument—that biodiversity must be repositioned as a health determinant rather than an environmental add-on—could sharpen integration of natural capital and ecosystem health into UK public health strategy and the environmental improvement plan.
Key measures
Conceptual framework analysis; policy discourse analysis; relationship mapping between biodiversity and health dimensions (disease regulation, immune development, food/water security, ecosystem functioning, resilience, climate adaptation)
Outcomes reported
The paper examines conceptual distinctions between public health, global health, One Health, EcoHealth, GeoHealth, and Planetary Health frameworks, arguing that biodiversity is underrecognised as a foundational health determinant rather than merely an environmental co-benefit. It proposes that explicitly integrating biodiversity into preventive health systems strengthens policy implementation across One Health and Planetary Health approaches.
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