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Biodiversity
THE WMS EDUCATIONAL SLIDE
SET "BIODIVERSITY LOSS: IMPACT ON HUMAN HEALTH"
VIEW
SLIDE SET
The mission of the Environmental Council
is to explore the connections between environmental health
and human health, and to educate WMS members, our peers,
and our patients about this vital link. To this end, Peter
Hackett and I developed an educational slide set which explores
the human health consequences of the loss of biological
diversity. It includes 66 slides and accompanying descriptive
text. The text is reasonably detailed, as this body of knowledge
is not in the usual wilderness medicine resource books.
It is designed to be easily modified for presentation to
both medical audiences and the "lay" public.
Section I "Biodiversity in Crisis"
defines biological diversity, describes the current mass
extinction spasm, and discusses factors contributing to
the loss of biodiversity.
Section II "Impact on Human Health"
discusses how biodiversity loss impacts human health by
contributing to the following. 1. Infectious disease outbreaks:
despite improved public health measures and an arsenal of
powerful antibiotics, there exists a growing number of epidemics
of new and resurgent infectious diseases; why? Part of the
explanation is that disrupted environments promote disease
emergence. Examples illustrating the role humans play in
the emergence and spread of infectious diseases through
ecological disruption include Lyme Disease, Argentine Hemorrhagic
Fever, Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, malaria, and cholera.
2. The loss of raw materials for new medicines and agricultural
products: biodiversity loss impacts health directly through
the loss of a vast treasure house of unexplored biological
raw materials potentially beneficial to humankind, including
medicines. Many of our commonly prescribed medications originated
from natural sources; familiar examples include digitalis
from foxglove and vincristine from the rosy periwinkle.
"Bioprospecting", the collection and analysis
of samples of the biota to find natural sources of new medicines,
is discussed, as is the crucial issue of preserving indigenous
peoples' knowledge of plants used for healing. 3. The loss
of biological models that may help us understand diseases:
historically, studies of animal physiology have led to significant
breakthroughs in medicine; for example the study of pit
viper venom led to the development of ace-inhibitors used
currently to treat hypertension. Suggestions for future
studies that may increase our understanding of osteoporosis
and cancer are described. 4. Potential food shortages: loss
of species and the genetic variety within species threatens
future food production. The impact of the green revolution
is discussed. 5. Our knowledge of the endocrine-disrupting
effects of environmental pollutants: biological diversity
also provides an epidemiological "early warning system".
Certain biological organisms are "indicator species",
showing effects of environmental change long before humans
are affected. Reminicent of Rachel Carson's pivotal work
"Silent Spring" current observations of disrupted
development and reproduction in fish, amphibians, reptiles,
and mammals are warning us of potential threats to human
health. The compelling evidence for the effects of endocrine-disrupters
like DDT and PCB's on humans is presented.
Section III is an "Agenda for Action".
Knowledge regarding the crisis of biodiversity and its implications
for human health is the first step. But it is not enough,
we must feel empowered to have a positive impact on these
issues. As health care providers there is much we can do.
Health professionals are in an ideal position to educate
others about the health risks of environmental degradation.
This section outlines 5 general strategies that can be utilized.
We can: promote biodiversity preservation; plan sociopolitical
action; educate our patients, peers, and communities; collaborate
with the conservation community; and, promote global health
concerns. A special feature of the slide set is the Appendix
Section which contains a wealth of information pertaining
to this section, specifically delineating how one can become
involved in critical issues in health and the environment.
It is designed to be utilized as a "handout",
so that those in the audience interested in pursuing specific
projects or interest areas know where to begin.
I am pleased to announce that this WMS Slide
Set is now available through the WMS Office. I would also
like to gratefully acknowledge Dr. Eric Chivian and Dr.
Ron Bailey for their thoughtful and expert review, and Mr.
Tom Fuhrmark for his help with graphic design of the slides.
