One Health and forest invasive species A position paper

https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/da223ecc-e929-4731-a224-c606585686c1 Forest invasive species are one of the five key direct drivers of biodiversity loss, with cascading effects across the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment.The world has lost 489 million hectares of forests since 1990, and although the rate of loss has slowed, forests still face many disturbances that affect their health and vitality. In 2020 alone, insects, diseases and extreme weather damaged 41 million hectares, mainly in temperate and boreal zones. The Korea Forest Service reports the loss of 12 million pine trees between 1988 and 2022 in the Republic of Korea, due to damage from the pine wood nematode. In the United States of America, insects and diseases threaten the loss of 25 million hectares of forests by 2027.Forest invasive species cannot be addressed through single-sector approaches. Their cross-cutting impacts demand coordinated action under the One Health approach, which recognizes the interconnected health of people, animals, plants and ecosystems. One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems.By fostering collaboration across the forestry, agriculture, public health and environmental sectors, One Health enables holistic, ecosystem-based strategies that address root causes rather than symptoms, safeguarding not only forest health but also biodiversity, food security and the well-being of communities that rely on forest ecosystem services – in short, everyone.This brief presents actionable, evidence-based recommendations for combating forest invasive species under One Health, protecting the forest ecosystems that sustain planetary health.