Researchers and practitioners from three countries gathered for a three-day workshop funded by NC State’s Global One Health Academy to strengthen and expand collaborations between several universities and non-government organizations that work with local and Indigenous communities to improve community, rainforest, and marine health.
The workshop was attended by representatives from seven universities and three non-government organizations:
- North Carolina State University
- Yayasan Alam Sehat Lestari
- Yayasan Planet Indonesia
- Health in Harmony
- UC San Francisco
- UC Berkeley
- Universitas of Indonesia
- University of Wisconsin Madison
- Princeton University
- Duke University
One Health is an integrative approach for solving global challenges that recognizes that human, animal, and ecosystem well-being are all connected. The One Health approach has been increasingly adopted by government and non-government organizations, but there is still much to learn about how researchers and practitioners can collaborate across disciplines. There is also an unfortunate history of forcing unwanted and harmful “solutions” on local and Indigenous communities in the name of conservation or health. To support equitable and effective One Health solutions, several organizations have adopted a method called Radical Listening. After communities identify their most pressing problems and the best solutions, non-government organizations support the solutions that communities have determined.
For several years, this team of researchers and practitioners has supported solutions identified by local and Indigenous communities in Indonesia, Madagascar, and Brazil to improve community well-being and therefore improve rainforest protection. These solutions include permanent and mobile health clinics, microloan programs, organic farming educational programs, and support securing community rights to forests. Many One Health benefits have emerged as a result of this work, such as increased financial security, reduced childhood mortality, reduced incidence of neglected tropical diseases, and reduced illegal logging and poaching within protected rainforests.
During the workshop, the team analyzed data from ongoing projects. They also discussed future research projects and grant proposals that would provide a deeper understanding of the infectious disease risks experienced by people living near tropical rainforests. Those risks might include contaminated drinking water, zoonotic pathogens in livestock or hunted wildlife, and vectorborne diseases like malaria.
“Communities living in and near rainforests already know that the rainforests are important for their health,” says Dr. Skylar Hopkins, an assistant professor from NC State University’s applied ecology department. “As researchers, our job is to collect data that can be used to independently assess how human and ecosystem health are connected, so that communities, governments, and non-government organizations can use the data to make informed decisions.”
After returning home to their respective countries, the workshop participants will continue to collaborate on current projects and future grants, ensuring long-term international collaboration. For many of the travelers, the workshop will be a fond memory of their first trip to the United States, which included a visit to NC State’s Howling Cow for ice cream and holding a wild rat snake on a nature walk at Historic Yates Mill County Park.
