Traditional Knowledge underlies One Health
Joe Copper Jack, Jared Gonet, Anne Mease, Katarzyna Nowak
Abstract
The degradation of natural environments is a major driver of disease spread from animals to humans (1). The One Health strategy, which links human, animal, and environmental health, has been central to discussions about recovering from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and preventing the spread of the next zoonotic disease (2). However, scientists and policy-makers often overlook evidence that the One Health paradigm is already embedded in Indigenous values, worldviews, and laws (3). To maximize the effectiveness of the One Health approach, Indigenous principles and inputs should inform both the way it is taught in emerging One Health academic programs and university courses and its application (4) from the Arctic (5) to the tropics.