Ecosystem approaches and health in Latin America
Date
2007
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Sergio Arouca National School of Public Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (ENSP-FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, BR
Abstract
Important environmental changes that have
become increasingly pronounced in the last two
centuries and that are seriously affecting human
health require the development of integrated
and participatory scientific approaches that can
result in proposals for institutional and public
policy changes. The purpose of this article is to
offer some elements that can contribute to a line
of reflection based on studies with ecosystem approaches
in the Latin America context. The authors
begin with a brief description of current
scientific literature in public health that links
ecosystems and human health in Latin America;
next, they describe and compare the two prevailing
trends that form the basis for the theoretical
and methodological debates on ecosystem approaches;
they also review the empirical research
in Latin America or concerning Latin American
countries in which an ecosystem approach has
been adopted. The results point to limited scientific
output on the interface between ecosystems
and human health; aspects involving public
participation and implementation of institutional
changes and public policies are still in a
rather incipient stage.
Description
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Journal Article (peer-reviewed)
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Keywords
ECOSYSTEMS, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, PUBLIC HEALTH, ECOSYSTEMS AND HUMAN HEALTH, RESEARCH FRAMEWORKS, MILLENNIUM ECOSYSTEM ASSESSMENT, ECOSYSTEM APPROACHES, LATIN AMERICA