Coronaceous period and Covid-19 pandemic; the possible consequences of destroying natural environments and biodiversity
Coronaceous period and Covid-19 pandemic; the possible consequences of destroying natural environments and biodiversity
Zahra Sheykhrezaee,1Saba Tabarsi,2Kimiya Nazari,3Salar Karjalian,4Fatemeh Haji-Mohammad-Hassan,5Alireza Golnaraghi,6,*
1. Department of Nature & Health, BoomZista Institute,, British Columbia, 2. Department Plant Protection, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University 3. Department Plant Protection, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University 4. Department Plant Protection, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University 5. Department Plant Protection, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University 6. Department of Biodiversity, BoomZista Institute,
Introduction: Scientists have been working for years to find a link between the loss or change in biodiversity and the emergence and spread of emerging diseases. Although ecologists have been warning of such a connection for decades, little attention had been paid to this challenging issue before Covid-19 pandemic and its subsequent serious problems. We named this time period as “Coronaceous period’ due to the profound and comprehensive effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on human life. This period and the serious issues have made researchers think deeply about the main causes and roots of recent outbreaks and find a solution to deal with them. Analysis of multiple biological communities in six different continents of the globe provide growing evidence of a high association between biodiversity loss and disease prevalence. Studies have shown that over the past few decades, the prevalence of diseases such as acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and avian influenza, which are transmitted from animals to humans, has increased. This phenomenon is probably a direct result of the increasing connection between humans, wildlife and livestock, as people migrate and live in underdeveloped areas. Obviously, human interactions with animals occur more on the border of the expansion of human habitation to the pristine natural environment. One of the key questions is whether declining biodiversity, which is inevitably associated with human expansion across rural and natural boundaries, increases the range of pathogens that can be transmitted from animals to humans. Research results show that the answer in many cases is “yes”, because biodiversity loss, due to deforestation and change of land use, usually leads to the replacement of a few species instead of the majority of species in the natural environment, and these substituted species can host pathogens that transmit to humans. Studies have revealed that in this situation, the population of some mammals such as bats, rodents, and various primates increases; this pattern is consistent with the pattern of Ebola outbreaks in Africa. Among wildlife, bats have easily adapted to human environments, such as homes, barns, farms, and gardens, where they have found suitable ecosystems to thrive. Bats play a key role in the evolution of coronavirusesare and are the main hosts of alphacoronaviruses (αCoV) and betacoronaviruses (βCoV). Their path of evolution in bats has resulted in the resistance of the hosts to viral pathogens; however, these viruses can easily attack other species, including humans. During the long time of evolution, many recombination and modifications, including one important modification to use ACE2 as a receptor in host cells, have occurred in these viruses that increased their potential for interspecies transmission. According to new researches, many factors have been involved in the occurrence of the Covid-19 pandemic: deforestation, changes in forest habitats, poorly regulated agricultural surfaces and mismanaged urban growth, as well as wildlife trade, growing and consumption, to mention but a few. On the other hand, we need a healthy immune system to overcome infectious diseases such as Covid-19; having such an immune system is impossible without the support of diverse microbiomes. The destruction that is being done by humans, e.g., unregulated urbanization, also largely affect microbial biodiversity; some of them, called our “old friends microbes” and found in natural environments around us, are crucial for training, regulating or bolstering our immune system. Having a weak immune system is one of the main reasons for the more mortality rates and disease severity in patients infected by the coronavirus. Some researchers believe that the rapid increase in non-infectious health issues, such as asthma and inflammatory bowel diseases, in urban areas also links with the loss of microbial biodiversity and less exposure to them.
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Conclusion: Studies reveal an increase in diseases outbreaks in recent decade, including Covid-19 pandemic, which seems to be related with the destruction of natural environments and biodiversity by humans. Obviously, efforts to preserve nature will only be effective if they can address the cultural and economic roots of such behavior and eliminate them. Scientists and policymakers also need to be more inclusive of rural boundaries with natural environments, while addressing issues of public health, the environment and “sustainable development”. However, it is very clear that if we, humans, continue our destructive behavior, we should expect more outbreaks in the future.