Healthcare and climate change may both be seen as hugely important, especially in the wake of the COVID pandemic, but it’s perhaps fair to say that they aren’t issues that appear to have much in common.
New research from the University of California, Santa Barbara suggests that might not actually be the case, however, and that improving access to healthcare can actually help in the fight against climate change.
The finding emerged from a study conducted in rural Indonesia, where improved healthcare was associated with a reduction in illegal logging activity. Indeed, the paper shows that deforestation fell by 70% in the 10 years after an affordable health clinic was opened in the region.
Healthy forests
The clinic provides discounts to villages if they manage to achieve a community-wide reduction in logging. The researchers believe the success of the project could show the way for similar efforts elsewhere in the world.
“This innovative model has clear global health implications,” they explain. “Health and climate can and should be addressed in unison, and done in coordination with and respect for local communities.”
The researchers believe this approach can be more effective than current methods, which they argue often exclude local communities. The lack of economic alternatives can often then force these local communities to resort to illegal logging. This situation can be compounded by the lack of high-quality and affordable healthcare.
An attempt to change this narrative was begun in 2007 with the creation of a clinic next to the Gunung Palung National Park in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. The clinic aimed to serve thousands across local communities, with accepted forms of payment including tree seedlings and handicrafts.
Curbing deforestation
The area had lost 60% of its forest cover due to illegal logging between 1985 and 2001, and the intervention not only provided healthcare but also training in sustainable agriculture.
This seemed to work miraculously well, with satellite images of the national park showing a 70% reduction in deforestation compared to a control site.
“We didn’t know what to expect when we started evaluating the program’s health and conservation impacts, but we were continually amazed that the data suggested such a strong link between improvements in health care access and tropical forest conservation,” the researchers say.
Working with local communities
The researchers highlight how around 35% of protected areas are owned and managed by Indigenous and local communities, yet these communities are often excluded from the design of any potential interventions.
The project in Indonesia shows what can be achieved when people are involved from an early stage, not just in terms of the climate benefits that can accrue, but also the health benefits for the local community.
“The data support two important conclusions: human health is integral to the conservation of nature and vice versa, and we need to listen to the guidance of rainforest communities who know best how to live in balance with their forests,” the researchers say.
