Health: An Ecosystem Approach

Health: An Ecosystem Approach
ISBN-10
1552500128
ISBN-13
9781552500125
Series
Health
Pages
84
Language
English
Published
2003
Publisher
International Development Research Centre
Authors
International Development Research Centre, Jean Lebel

Description

Can people remain healthy in a world that is sick? Many ecological
disasters can be directly traced to careless exploitation of the
environment, with human beings as first perpetrator and then victim. Our health closely mirrors the health of our surroundings: this is the basis of the Ecohealth approach. It recognizes the inextricable links between humans and their biophysical, social, and economic environments, and that these links are reflected in the population's state of health.

Reconciling an ecosystem's health with the health of its human inhabitants is a new area of research, requiring input from scientists, community and interest groups, and decision-makers. This book describes this new approach, providing lessons and recommendations from various IDRC-supported research activities. It demonstrates how decision-makers, in particular, can use the Ecohealth approach to formulate policies and solutions that are both immediately visible and sustainable over the long term.

This book presents only a small portion of the information that is
available on the ecosystem approach to human health. At IDRC's Ecohealth
Web site -- www.idrc.ca/ecohealth -- you will find the full text of this
publication as well as related case studies, research reports, short
articles, and various other resources that complement this publication.

Other editions