editorial Three-pronged pandemic prevention The importance of biodiversity protection for disease prevention is now obvious from evolutionary, ecological and economic angles.

his is our third editorial in six has recombined and diverged, whereas the is incredibly small compared with the months on the topic of COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 one is ancestral. This suggests damage caused by a single pandemic such as TThe pandemic is preoccupying, but that, while pangolins may still have had a COVID-19. also the subject of rapid and fascinating role in transmission to humans, they were These three studies, and many more like research. Our 20 February editorial1 already not needed for adapting the bat virus to them, drive home a message that disease called for the protection and monitoring humans. One major implication of this ecologists have been trying to communicate of biodiversity in order to guard against study is that it is likely that there are related for years. But such messages have mostly future pandemics, and that remains the viruses circulating in bats and other species been ignored by governments that had key message. However, three recent studies that are already able to reproduce in humans limited direct experience of epidemics. have provided evidence to reinforce that if given the opportunity. The complementary approaches used in conclusion, and their complementary While it is clear that proximity of humans the three studies also ensure that it is evolutionary, ecological and economic and wildlife is potentially problematic, it is difficult to argue that wildlife itself is the approaches are worth highlighting. important to note that habitat disturbance problem, rather than the human interaction Since the identification of SARS-CoV-2 is a key factor in tipping the balance from with it. You can’t react to the first study and sequencing of its genome2, there has potential to pandemic. Writing in Nature, by attempting to decrease the overall been much interest in determining its Gibb et al.4 assess whether species that are amount of biodiversity, because the second evolutionary origin. Some of this interest is reservoirs for human diseases become more study shows that the very act of disturbing purely intellectual, but knowing the origin prevalent in disturbed ecosystems. Using wildlife makes the problem worse. And has important applied consequences both for global data from the Projecting Responses of the third study shows that paying each other this and future pandemics. Understanding Ecological Diversity in Changing Terrestrial to stay out of wildlife’s way is a very small how the virus has evolved can help predict Systems (PREDICTS) biodiversity project price to pay. its future trajectory and response to a (not to be confused with the United States Now that COVID-19 and the research vaccine; and understanding when and where Agency for International Development it is engendering have unequivocally the virus originated can help prioritize areas (USAID) PREDICT disease-monitoring demonstrated the importance of biodiversity and species to monitor for future zoonotic programme5), they show that the to reducing risk of zoonosis, it is critical that emergence. Such monitoring can work at abundances of rodents, bats and passerine these conclusions are taken to heart and the level of identifying areas in which to birds that have been linked to human acted upon. Prioritizing the Convention on monitor wildlife where there is a risk of diseases tend to increase or remain constant Biological Diversity (CBD) process that will spillover, and also help to identify where when habitat is disturbed, in contrast to the set the biodiversity policy framework for to monitor hospitals for early signs of an decreases seen in other species from these the next decade is one obvious way to do emerging novel pandemic once spillover same taxa. They also show that this effect this. Active participation in the development has occurred. is related to certain traits of these species, and implementation of CBD targets should Writing in Nature Microbiology, Boni in particular a fast pace of life, which be moved higher up the political agenda et al.3 look at patterns of recombination in may simultaneously act as both a buffer and firmly integrated with other economic SARS-CoV-2 and related sarbecoviruses against disturbance and offer less immune and environmental policy targets. And the to determine the time since its most recent resistance to disease. Showing this effect on full costs of disease must be included in common ancestor with its closest bat-virus a global scale, defining which taxa it applies economic calculations about the costs and relative, and the possible route it has taken to, and providing mechanistic insight into benefits of biodiversity protection — to to reach humans. Unlike influenza viruses, why it happens, has strongly reinforced the emphasize to political leaders the manifest recombination is common within subregions message that habitat destruction will lead to value of these investments. ❐ of sarbecoviruses, and the authors more zoonotic disease. therefore used three different methods to Finally, writing in Science, Dobson et al.6 remove recombined regions from their tackle the economics of preventing zoonoses Published online: 20 August 2020 analyses as they would interfere with through reducing wildlife disturbance. They https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-01304-z phylogenetic conclusions. They found that contrast estimated figures needed to prevent SARS-CoV-2 diverged from the reservoir deforestation, reduce and regulate wildlife References of bat sarbecoviruses decades ago, and has trade, and monitor disease emergence 1. Nat. Ecol. Evol. 4, 283 (2020). 2. Wu, F. et al. Nature 579, 265–269 (2020). presumably been circulating in horseshoe through programmes such as PREDICT, 3. Boni, M. F. et al. Nat. Microbiol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564- bats since then. They also show that, with the coarsely estimated global cost of the 020-0771-4 (2020). although the key ACE2 receptor-binding pandemic to national economies. Perhaps 4. Gibb, R. et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2562-8 (2020). site is similar to that found in pangolin unsurprisingly, in almost all scenarios, 5. Gruber, K. Nat. Ecol. Evol. 1, 0098 (2017). viruses, this is because the bat virus gene the cost of prevention over many years 6. Dobson, A. P. et al. Science 369, 379–381 (2020).

Nature Ecology & Evolution | VOL 4 | September 2020 | 1149 | www.nature.com/natecolevol 1149