Ecosystem change and human health: an overview of the HEAL program

Christopher Golden PhD, MPHDirector of HEAL, Wildlife Conservation Society

Harvard School of Public HealthATBC 7-13-2015

Ecosystem Change and Human Health:

An Overview of the HEAL Program

Environmental Change as

Public Health Risk

• Wildlife population collapseEnvironmental Change

• Reduced access to animal-source foodsChanges in Food

Supply

• Micronutrient and vitamin intake decreasesChanges in Nutrient

Intake

• Increased incidence of nutritional deficienciesHealth Impacts

Makira Region, NE Madagascar

Burun

di

Tim

or-L

este

Niger

Mad

agas

car

Nepal

Guate

mal

aIn

dia

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Stu

nti

ng

pre

vale

nce

(%

)An Environment of Chronic Malnutrition

Global Prevalence of Anemia

Forest Foods

Wildlife Consumption

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 110

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

Annual Individual Wildlife Consumption (kg)

Pre

dic

ted

In

cre

as

e i

n

He

mo

glo

bin

Co

nc

en

tra

tio

ns

(g

/dL

)

Median Consumption

75th Percentile

Reliance on Wild Foods• More than 280 different food items consumed over 1 year (142 hh)

• 8 items purchased from stores

• 24 mammalian bushmeat species, 22 wild bird species

• Mean household bushmeat consumption is 7.4kg per year

• A quarter of households consume 200g of bushmeat per week

• Some households are consuming nearly 70kg of busmeat in a year, the equivalent of a single household receiving 12 quarter-pounder burgers per week from the forest

• Mean proportion of bushmeat to total meat consumption is 13% while in some households it comprises 75% of all meat consumption

Health Methodology

1

• Dietary calendars• Socio-economic surveys• Pharmaceutical use records

2

• Current health status• Anthropometry• Fingernail samples

3• Blood samples (fasted)

4

• Fecal samples• Breast milk samples (fasted)

CONTINUOUS

NIGHT BEFORE

CLINICAL VISIT

FIRST / LAST

Clinical Diagnostics

Biological Samples

Ultimate risk factors of mortality

Effects of malnutrition on brain development and cognition

Source: Cordero E et al, 1985 (Adapted from Figure 2 & Figure 4), Benıtez-Bribiesca et al. 1999 (Adapted from Figure 4)

Nor

mal

Mal

nour

ishe

d

Normal brain cells

Extensive branching

Impaired brain cells

Limited branching

Mortality attributed to malnutrition

Diarrhea deaths

Pneumonia deaths

Measles deaths

Malaria deaths

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Outline

1. Methodological Framework

2. Case Study: Wildlife Declines and Food Security

3. Ongoing ResearchFishery Declines and Food Security

Roadmap

Eco-Epidemiology Ecosystem Services Nutritional Epidemiology

Climate Ocean Fisheries Catch Human Development Science Health Ecology Histories Geography Economics

Importance of Marine Fisheries to Nutrition

Mal

dive

s

Indo

nesia

Mad

agas

car

Canad

a

Tanz

ania

Icel

and

Portug

al

Gambi

a

Japa

n UK0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100 Omega-3 Vitamin B12 Vitamin A Protein Iron Zinc Calories

Cont

ributi

on o

f wild

cap

ture

fish

to

tota

l nut

rient

inta

ke (%

)

Thank You!• Sam Myers, Walter Willett, Anu Shankar, Steve

Osofsky • Ben Rice, Danny Milner, Sarah Volkman, Dan Hartl• Lia Fernald, Claire Kremen, Justin Brashares• Evelin Jean Gasta Anjaranirina and Luciano Tantely• Herlyne Ramihantaniarivo