ABOUT | Levers for Health

Human well-being is inextricably linked to ecosystem health; when ecosystem structure or function are degraded, human well-being can suffer. This is especially true for people living in poor, rural conditions, who rely on and interact with natural resources the most. And when human well-being declines, people may begin to use resources unsustainably, further degrading ecosystems. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) recognize these indivisible connections between people and nature, and posit that no goals can be achieved in the long term while ignoring the others.

To that end, local, national, and international organizations seek solutions that can simultaneously advance multiple SDGs. However, limited attention has focused on solutions related to human infectious diseases, as opposed to other aspects of well-being (e.g., food security, economic stability). Therefore, we created an evidence database of proposed solutions that reduce human infectious diseases (Good Health and Well-being; SDG 3) while also conserving Life Below Water (SDG 14) and Life on Land (SDG 15).

We are the Ecological Levers for Health Working Group: 28 interdisciplinary researchers and practitioners convened by the Science for Nature and People Partnership (SNAPP) to find and evaluate solutions that reduce human infectious diseases and advance conservation goals.

Using a subject-wide evidence synthesis approach, we identified 46 proposed solutions. Each solution was rapidly reviewed in 2020, and the available evidence was summarized following a standardized protocol. You can access the individual evidence summaries for each solution and a searchable, sortable database of all 46 proposed solutions on the Solutions page. To learn more about our review and synthesis process, please see the Methodology page under the About tab.

This evidence synthesis is intended to help researchers, practitioners, funders, and other stakeholders to design, adapt, and modify win–win solutions relevant to their context-specific circumstances. If you have comments or questions, we invite you to reach out to our team!