RT null T1 Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity - Book A1 Harvard Medical School, A2 Chivian, Eric A2 Bernstein, Aaron A2 Pimm, Stuart A2 Alves, Maria A2 Melillo, Jerry A2 Sala, Osvaldo A2 Newman, David A2 Kilama, John A2 Rosenthal, Joshua A2 Molyneux, David A2 Ostfeld, Richard A2 Hillel, Daniel A2 Rosenzweig, Cynthia A2 McNeely, Jeffrey A2 Sterling, Eleanor A2 Mulongoy, Kalemani A2 Annan, Kofi A2 Wilson, Edward K1 biodiversity K1 endangered species K1 biodiversity loss K1 habitat loss K1 land degradation K1 infectious disease K1 ocean K1 freshwater K1 pollution K1 ultraviolet radiation K1 conflict K1 climate change K1 war K1 medicine K1 traditional medicine K1 biotechnology K1 amphibian K1 bear K1 primate K1 gymnosperm K1 snail K1 shark K1 crab K1 food production K1 livestock K1 agriculture K1 aquatic ecology K1 organic farming K1 genetically modified food K1 sustainable consumption K1 human health K1 Agriculture K1 Biodiversity K1  Coastal and Marine Ecosystems K1  Energy Efficiency K1 Food Waste K1 Health K1 Land K1 Marine Litter K1 Natural Resources K1 Pollution PB Oxford University Press SN 978-0-19-517509-7 YR 2008 FD 2008 LK https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/29110 UL https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/29110 NO The Earth's biodiversity-the rich variety of life on our planet-is disappearing at an alarming rate. And while many books have focused on the expected ecological consequences, or on the aesthetic, ethical, sociological, or economic dimensions of this loss, Sustaining Life is the first book to examine the full range of potential threats that diminishing biodiversity poses to human health. Edited and written by Harvard Medical School physicians Eric Chivian and Aaron Bernstein, along with more than 100 leading scientists who contributed to writing and reviewing the book, Sustaining Life presents a comprehensive--and sobering--view of how human medicines, biomedical research, the emergence and spread of infectious diseases, and the production of food, both on land and in the oceans, depend on biodiversity. The book's ten chapters cover everything from what biodiversity is and how human activity threatens it to how we as individuals can help conserve the world's richly varied biota. Seven groups of organisms, some of the most endangered on Earth, provide detailed case studies to illustrate the contributions they have already made to human medicine, and those they are expected to make if we do not drive them to extinction. Drawing on the latest research, but written in language a general reader can easily follow, Sustaining Life argues that we can no longer see ourselves as separate from the natural world, nor assume that we will not be harmed by its alteration. Our health, as the authors so vividly show, depends on the health of other species and on the vitality of natural ecosystems. With a foreword by E.O. Wilson and a prologue by Kofi Annan, and more than 200 poignant color illustrations, Sustaining Life contributes essential perspective to the debate over how humans affect biodiversity and a compelling demonstration of the human health costs.This volume presents a comprehensive review of how human medicines, biomedical research, the emergence and spread of infectious diseases, and the production of food all depend on biodiversity. NO Foreword — Edward O. WilsonPrologue — Kofi AnnanPreface — Eric Chivian and Aaron Bernstein1. The Diversity of LifeWhat Is Biodiversity?How Many Species Are There?Extinction Rates Before HumansThe Current Extinction CrisisThreats to BiodiversityConclusionSuggested Readings2. Biodiversity Loss and Human HealthThe Health Consequences of Biodiversity LossEcosystem DisturbancePollutionClimate ChangeInvasive SpeciesSpecies ExploitationConclusionSuggested Readings3. Ecosystem ServicesThe Character of Ecosystem ServicesThe Economic Value of Ecosystem ServicesThreats to Ecosystem ServicesConclusionSuggested Readings4. Medicines From NatureWhy Natural Medicines?The History of Natural Products as MedicinesThe Role of Traditional Medicine in Drug DiscoverySouth American Indigenous MedicinesA Review of Some Medicines Derived From NatureHerbal Medicines in Industrialized CountriesPotential Medicines in FoodNatural Products as Insecticides and FungicidesConclusionSuggested Readings5. Biodiversity and Biomedical ResearchA Brief History of Biomedical ResearchThe Role of Animals and Microbes in Biomedical ResearchConclusionSuggested Readings6. Threatened Groups of Organisms Valuable to MedicineAmphibiansBearsPrimatesGymnospermsCone SnailsSharksHorseshoe CrabsConclusionSuggested Readings7. Ecosystem Disturbance, Biodiversity Loss, and Human Infectious DiseaseEcosystem Disturbances and Their Effects on Infectious DiseasesVector, Pathogen, and Host Diversity and Human Infectious DiseaseBiological ControlsSpecies Exploitation and the Consumption of BushmeatClimate Change and Its Effects on Infectious DiseasesConclusionSuggested Readings8. Biodiversity and Food ProductionHistorical BackgroundAgricultureLivestock ProductionFood From Aquatic SystemsConclusionSuggested Readings9. Genetically Modified Foods and Organic FarmingGenetically Modified FoodsOrganic FarmingIntegrated FarmingConclusionSuggested Readings10. What Individuals Can Do to Help Conserve BiodiversityWhat Are We Doing to Our Planet?Why Do We Consume So Much?How Can We Conserve Biodiversity?Some Collective Actions That Have Made a DifferenceIndividuals Who Have Made a DifferenceTen Things We All Can Do That Can Help Conserve BiodiversitySuggested ReadingsAppendicesAppendix A: Co-Sponsors of Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on BiodiversityAppendix B: Treaties, Conventions, and Intergovernmental Organizations for the Conservation of BiodiversityAppendix C: Nongovernmental Organizations Working to Conserve BiodiversityReferencesChapter AuthorsContributing AuthorsReviewersIndex NO https://academic.oup.com/book/55094 DS UN Environment Document Repository RD Sep 19, 2026