News 1 of 2

Distinguished women scientists at Ecohealth Forum 2008.

In early December, policymakers, researchers, grassroots organizations, and journalists gathered in Mexico to share knowledge and set priorities for the global ecohealth movement — a movement pioneered in Canada.

The International Ecohealth Forum, held in the Yucatán capital, Mérida, was hosted by Mexico’s National Institute of Public Health. IDRC co-sponsored the forum, together with the International Association for Ecology and Health, the Pan American Health Organization, and three Brazilian organizations: FioCruz, Instituto des Pesquisas Ecologicas, and the University of Sao Paulo Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.

Some 700 participants gathered to share findings on how ecohealth approaches can help tackle pressing issues such as global warming, food security, disease, and economic development. Many of those gathered were past and present IDRC research partners.

Ecohealth is still a relatively new field of research that explores the mutual relationship between human well-being and the condition of ecosystems. It got its start in Canada just over a decade ago, in the wake of concerns about workplace health and water pollution.

IDRC in the lead

Canadian academics were at the forefront of defining the basic concepts of the ecohealth approach, but IDRC took the lead in supporting research in this area. It created its own Ecohealth program, exporting this fresh way of thinking to challenges in developing countries. Today, IDRC continues to sponsor ecohealth initiatives worldwide. 

For more on IDRC's ecohealth projects, read the case studies showcased in Ecohealth Works.

“Ecohealth has become a more widely accepted approach,” says Dominique Charron, leader of IDRC’s Ecosystem Approaches to Human Health program, “yet we’re still the only program in the world that exclusively funds this kind of research.”

IDRC organized 18 of the December forum’s panel sessions, 10 workshops, and a presentation featuring distinguished women scientists. And, in collaboration with the World Federation of Science Journalists, IDRC provided awards so that eight science journalists from around the world could cover the conference.

Setting priorities, moving forward

During the forum, IDRC announced support for research on two priority areas: climate change and infectious diseases.

“Ecohealth thinking can tackle serious diseases like malaria and dengue where conventional biomedical approaches are not enough,” says Charron. She also notes that, when governments develop plans to mitigate or adapt to the effects of climate change, ecohealth research can ensure that public health concerns are taken into account.

Charron says the forum also helped build bridges among ecohealth researchers who may not otherwise have a chance to connect. For example, specialists from a health research institute in Mexico and a conservation organization in Brazil discovered they were working on opposite sides of the same issue — and could benefit from collaborating in the future.

Forum participants also assessed the current state of the ecohealth movement and began to steer a new course. They produced a preliminary 10-point Call to Action that addresses one of ecohealth’s main challenges: how to translate its research results into government policy.

“We need to work harder to get research into application, in order to effect change,” says Charron. “This is IDRC’s niche because even a relatively small donor like IDRC can make a difference.”

Canadian ecohealth specialist Dr. Donald Cole discusses the ecohealth benefits of urban agriculture.

South African ecohealth specialist Trevor Hill discusses the results of an IDRC-supported project that studied the links between  health and living conditions in a South African municipality.

 Media Coverage: Ecohealth Forum 2008

Article: Averting Disaster (English)

Article: Forum international écosanté 2008 (French)

Audio: IDRC-supported researchers on Radio Canada International’s Canadá en Las Américas (Spanish)

Article: Modified Habitats Pose Threat of Zoonotic Diseases (English)

Article: Health – A Victim of Climate Change (English)

Article: Women crusaders against epidemics (English)

2009-01

News 1 of 2