Ecohealth Villages: A Framework for an Ecosystem Approach to Health in Human Settlements

As life emerged on Earth, it began to affect its environments. It still does. The complex interactions between living things and their environments mediate the character of both. Today, this is apparent in the global impacts humans have made on ecosystems, with resultant reciprocal impacts on human...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2022-06, Vol.14 (12), p.7053
Main Authors: Orlando, Laura F., DePinto, Anthony J., Wallace, Kiri Joy
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biodiversity
Case studies
Ecology
Ecosystems
Environmental restoration
Human populations
Human settlements
Land settlement
Native peoples
Principles
Public health
Reciprocity
Sustainability
Villages
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Summary:As life emerged on Earth, it began to affect its environments. It still does. The complex interactions between living things and their environments mediate the character of both. Today, this is apparent in the global impacts humans have made on ecosystems, with resultant reciprocal impacts on human health. This paper is concerned with that reciprocity, which may be considered as a link between ecosystems and human populations. We will distinguish an ecosystem approach to human health—or ecohealth—from One Health and planetary health perspectives. We will also propose a conceptual framework that can be used to distinguish human settlements as Ecohealth Villages. Broadly defined, an Ecohealth Village is a settlement that recognizes the interactions between healthy ecosystems and the health of people who live, work, learn, and play in it. The key principles of an Ecohealth Villages are as follows: community ownership, ecological restoration, sustainability, social and gender equity, integrated perspectives, and traditional practices and knowledge. Together, they support a holistic, ecosystem approach to health in human settlements, as demonstrated in case studies from Mexico and Aotearoa New Zealand.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su14127053