Page - 321 - in Biodiversity and Health in the Face of Climate Change

321 Several resolutions of the Ramsar convention have led the way to link biodiver- sity with health issues and disaster risk reduction in a holistic way, also referring to climate change. This expertise now needs to support the aims of the 2030  Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is an important contribution to the 2050-Vision of the CBD. 14.5.2 World Health Organization and  Convention on  Biological Diversity Partnership Although health is already mentioned in the Preamble to the text of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD 1992)2 and was included in the CBD Aichi Target 14, in 2010 (CBD 2010),3 the first full CBD decision on biodiversity and human health, under the joint work programme with the World Health Organization, was only concluded at the 12th Conference of the Parties, held in November 2014  in Pyeongchang, South Korea (CBD 2014). “All human health ultimately depends on ecosystem services that are made possible by biodiversity and the products derived from them. While the inter-linkages between biodiversity, ecosystem services and human health are inherently complex, inter-disciplinary research is aiming to develop a more thorough understanding of these essential relationships”.4 Important for preparation of the next COP was a joint report with the title “Connecting Global Priorities: Biodiversity and Human Health, a State of Knowledge Review” that was published in 2015 by the Secretariat of the Convention of Biodiversity together with the World Health Organization and numerous partners (Romanelli et  al. 2015). It covers a wide range of topics concerning both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. A focus lies on the contribution of biodiversity to physical health through provision of food and nutrition as well as pharmaceuticals and tradi- tional medicines. Further, the report deals with regulating services of water and air quality as well as the contribution of biodiversity to mental and cultural well-being. Health aspects include consideration of the microbial diversity as well as non- communicable and infectious diseases. Strategically, this report already considers links to global adaptation to climate change and associated disaster risk-reduction considerations, necessary tools, metrics and research avenues, and ultimately how 2 CBD, Preamble: “Aware that conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity is of critical importance for meeting the food, health and other needs of the growing world population, for which purpose access to and sharing of both genetic resources and technologies are essential,…” (see: https://www.cbd.int/convention/articles/default.shtml?a=cbd-00, accessed 8 August 2018). 3 Aichi target 14: “By 2020, ecosystems that provide essential services, including services related to water, and contribute to health, livelihoods and well-being, are restored and safeguarded, taking into account the needs of women, indigenous and local communities, and the poor and vulnerable.” (see: https://www.cbd.int/decision/cop/default.shtml?id=12268, accessed 8 August 2018). 4 For an overview of COP decisions and SBSTTA recommendations related to health see https:// www.cbd.int/health/ accessed 8 August 2018). 14 Global Developments: Policy Support for  Linking Biodiversity, Health and  Climate…