The importance of biodiversity for human medicine

This content is an excerpt from the systematic paper review by Paul Henkelmann.

 

Climate change and the associated collapse of ecosystems and loss of biodiversity threaten not only the natural environment and our livelihoods, but also one of the most important sources of knowledge in human medicine: the evolutionary richness of nature and its living organisms.

Numerous examples show that research into plants, animals and microorganisms has led to significant medical breakthroughs. These include the development of medicines from plants and technological innovations through microbial mechanisms (e.g. CRISPR-Cas9, PCR). The loss of biodiversity therefore not only jeopardizes ecological balances, but also future medical innovations.

Biodiversity includes not only the diversity of species, but also genetic differences within species and their ecological functions. Today, the loss of this diversity is reaching historic proportions: since 1970, the populations of large vertebrates have declined by 69 %, and many biodiversity hotspots have lost over 70 % of their natural vegetation. Conservation measures are often ineffective as they are mostly voluntary and lack binding policies and public support (e.g. the goals of the Paris Agreement). Successful projects do have an impact, but are too small in scale. Pioneering technologies such as AI-supported nature conservation planning could open up new perspectives here.

Two key measures are required to effectively counteract the ongoing loss of biodiversity and at the same time safeguard the potential of medical innovations from nature. Firstly, international conservation laws are needed that not only combat direct threats such as poaching, deforestation and the disposal of toxic waste, but also take indirect factors such as climate change into account. Secondly, comprehensive public education and awareness-raising is necessary to create a broad understanding of the importance of biodiversity and thereby build political pressure for sustainable measures. In the long term, only a combination of political regulation and social change can effectively halt the loss of biodiversity.

In conclusion, it can be said that Biodiversity holds outstanding potential for medical research and care. Its progressive loss jeopardizes an indispensable source of biological knowledge and medical innovation. More consistent protection of biodiversity is therefore essential to ensure future discoveries and advances in medicine and thus also our resilience and survival in the long term.