Disturb forests, trigger new pandemics — study

ABSTRACT

“Halting and reversing forest loss is increasingly recognised as a means to mitigate the effects of climate change and address biodiversity collapses” Johan Oldekop, University of Manchester FAO’s State of the World’s Forests Report 2020 says that the majority of new infectious diseases are zoonotic and their emergence may be linked to changes in forest areas, as well as the expansion of human populations into forest areas. According to the study, the unprecedented exodus of forest communities to urban areas is shaping the future of forests. According to the study, during 2001—2015, 27 per cent of forest disturbance was attributed to commodity-driven deforestation.