Research Profiles - Protecting biodiversity; protecting health

Image: Research Profiles - Protecting biodiversity; protecting health

As a society, we are learning more and more that protecting human health requires more than just looking out for humans.

From the food we eat, to the air we breathe, to the green spaces we enjoy, our environment impacts our health in many ways. Changes in the health of the world around us have the potential to change the health within us. And the world is changing at an alarming rate. The world's biodiversity – the variety of life on Earth – is shrinking.

During the International Year of Biodiversity, CIHR hopes to raise awareness of the important role that the many species around us (and inside us) play in maintaining our health. Some plants and animals provide us with food or medicine, some protect us against the wrath of natural disasters, some play a vital role in our defense against invading pathogens and some have important cultural significance. When these species are lost, our health suffers.

This month, we are profiling CIHR-funded researchers who are studying various aspects of biodiversity and its impact on human health. Their research is as diverse as life itself, but it all underscores the fact that we cannot ignore the health of our environment.

For more information:

2010 International Year of Biodiversity

COHAB Initiative