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U. Abiha et al.
14.1 Introduction
The Earth’s ecosystem plays an instrumental role in shaping human sustainance and
curbing global issues. The menace of anthropogenic activities has been an issue
for environment conservationalist. Since a long time anthropogenic activities which
include excessive land use, new specie introduction, changing environment, habitat
destruction, and thriving population indefinitely have greatly affected the biotic
components of the Earth [1]. This has created a change in transmission swing of
zoonotic pathogens, disrupting ecosystem health and putting life in danger. COVID19 being an unmapped situation has impacted life in all spheres. The impact of perpetuating pandemic is yet to be fully evaluated but it has revolutionized the concept of
medicine, treatments driven from biodiversity. In order to find the medication for
the infection of SARS-2, the knowledge of traditional medicinal system across the
globe has been systematically utilized. Traditional medicinal knowledge believes in
the conservation and strategic utilization of biodiversity as a resource. Thus, the use
of traditional knowledge based on ethanobotanic and naturopathic fundamentals has
created an incessant need to conserve ecosystem [2].
To evaluate the biodiversity conservation as a relevant and viable strategy to curb
public health on a global level, it is a necessity to find answers for the following
questions: (i) What is the synergy between biodiversity and human health? (ii) What
is the relation between pathogen transmission and biodiversity? (iii) How does biodiversity bring back strengthened immune system, in terms of traditional requisites?
(iv) What is the current scenario in terms of COVID-19? (v) quantification of impact
of pandemic on environment and future challenges? Here, we summarize the current
available knowledge about biodiversity and its related interventions to address human
health and a clear understanding of the five questions. This chapter highlights the relevance of biodiversity in human health. During the period of the coronavirus pandemic
due to lack in the treatment measures, the conventional methods of treatment have
been a great aid. This has encompassed the need to preserve and conservation of
biodiversity to curb the unseen medical challenges. Also, the use of biodiversity as
medical resource has displayed promising results in past for various infections and
for coronavirus pandemic as well; preservation of biodiversity can also be the reason
for meeting the treatment measures in the time of future outbreak of diseases. The
use of various plants and their derivative extracts on the basis of docking scores have
provided to consolidate the biodiversity preservation. One of the common measure
adopted to check the perpetuating infection was quarantine and worldwide lockdown. The procedure of lockdown manifested various changes in the extent of environmental pollution. Huge improvization in the air, water quality, and territorial
expansion for animals harboring in wild was seen. The measures of quarantine are
adverse for the economy of nations and in order to recover the drift, the environmentalists have predicted the overexploitation of biodiversity in future. Thus need
for legal policy changes are recommended to make the biodiversity preservation
laws stringent to avoid the post-pandemic exploitation. The existential measures of
biodiversity conservations are also to be further strengthened for future challenges.
U. Abiha et al.
14.1 Introduction
The Earth’s ecosystem plays an instrumental role in shaping human sustainance and
curbing global issues. The menace of anthropogenic activities has been an issue
for environment conservationalist. Since a long time anthropogenic activities which
include excessive land use, new specie introduction, changing environment, habitat
destruction, and thriving population indefinitely have greatly affected the biotic
components of the Earth [1]. This has created a change in transmission swing of
zoonotic pathogens, disrupting ecosystem health and putting life in danger. COVID19 being an unmapped situation has impacted life in all spheres. The impact of perpetuating pandemic is yet to be fully evaluated but it has revolutionized the concept of
medicine, treatments driven from biodiversity. In order to find the medication for
the infection of SARS-2, the knowledge of traditional medicinal system across the
globe has been systematically utilized. Traditional medicinal knowledge believes in
the conservation and strategic utilization of biodiversity as a resource. Thus, the use
of traditional knowledge based on ethanobotanic and naturopathic fundamentals has
created an incessant need to conserve ecosystem [2].
To evaluate the biodiversity conservation as a relevant and viable strategy to curb
public health on a global level, it is a necessity to find answers for the following
questions: (i) What is the synergy between biodiversity and human health? (ii) What
is the relation between pathogen transmission and biodiversity? (iii) How does biodiversity bring back strengthened immune system, in terms of traditional requisites?
(iv) What is the current scenario in terms of COVID-19? (v) quantification of impact
of pandemic on environment and future challenges? Here, we summarize the current
available knowledge about biodiversity and its related interventions to address human
health and a clear understanding of the five questions. This chapter highlights the relevance of biodiversity in human health. During the period of the coronavirus pandemic
due to lack in the treatment measures, the conventional methods of treatment have
been a great aid. This has encompassed the need to preserve and conservation of
biodiversity to curb the unseen medical challenges. Also, the use of biodiversity as
medical resource has displayed promising results in past for various infections and
for coronavirus pandemic as well; preservation of biodiversity can also be the reason
for meeting the treatment measures in the time of future outbreak of diseases. The
use of various plants and their derivative extracts on the basis of docking scores have
provided to consolidate the biodiversity preservation. One of the common measure
adopted to check the perpetuating infection was quarantine and worldwide lockdown. The procedure of lockdown manifested various changes in the extent of environmental pollution. Huge improvization in the air, water quality, and territorial
expansion for animals harboring in wild was seen. The measures of quarantine are
adverse for the economy of nations and in order to recover the drift, the environmentalists have predicted the overexploitation of biodiversity in future. Thus need
for legal policy changes are recommended to make the biodiversity preservation
laws stringent to avoid the post-pandemic exploitation. The existential measures of
biodiversity conservations are also to be further strengthened for future challenges.