The effects of deforestation due to development are often clear. You can see stumps and muddy patches on the ground, along with new fields or homes appearing shortly after. However, losing forests means more than just cutting down trees; it also means losing numerous advantages that forests provide, such as disease management.
A recent global study has revealed that a common strategy to combat malaria—bed nets—becomes less effective with increasing deforestation. This research highlights the crucial role a healthy environment plays in maintaining human health.
Bed nets that have been treated with insecticides are widely used for malaria prevention. They prevent mosquitoes, which spread malaria, from biting people while they sleep. Nonprofit organizations distribute these nets extensively, investing billions of dollars in their effort, according to Taylor Ricketts, Director of the Gund Institute.
The study revealed that utilizing bed nets was linked to a decrease of up to 32% in malaria cases among children. However, this efficacy was only observed in areas where more than 50% of the forest cover was still intact. These findings were published in People and Nature.
As lead author Tafesse Estifanos, a former postdoctoral scholar at UVM’s Gund Institute for Environment, noted, “The effectiveness of bed-net usage hinges on the level of deforestation; once it surpasses 50% over the studied 20 years, bed nets no longer provide any benefits.”
Ricketts described Estifanos’ work as a crucial insight for those involved in public and environmental health. “This study illustrates that the methods we typically use to control malaria rely on the surrounding natural environment,” he stated. “In the field of global public health, there remains a significant lack of awareness regarding nature’s importance.”
For their study, researchers combined various types of data: demographics, health stats, and economic conditions of residents with environmental factors like deforestation levels, climate, and population densities. They identified four categories based on deforestation rates, ranging from minimal loss to more than 50% loss over a span of 20 years, while also incorporating data on bed-net usage and malaria cases among children in these regions.
What causes the increase in malaria risk due to deforestation? Ricketts noted there are likely multiple interrelated factors. One primary reason is that deforestation creates optimal breeding conditions for malaria-carrying mosquitoes, providing warm puddles of water where they can thrive. The researchers plan to further investigate how the loss of forests impacts the effectiveness of bed nets, according to Ricketts.
This research builds upon earlier findings which indicated that deforestation raises the risk of malaria infections in children across six different countries, particularly affecting low-income areas.
“There is a wealth of case studies on how effective malaria prevention methods, particularly with regards to bed net access and usage, are,” explained Brendan Fisher, a coauthor of the study and professor at the Rubenstein School of Environment. “What we’ve accomplished here is gathering data on around 20,000 children in six countries with endemic malaria to examine how natural factors and human interventions for malaria prevention interact on a large scale.”
The key takeaway from Estifanos and Ricketts is that preserving forests is not merely an environmental goal—it is also essential for public health. “This is particularly relevant in developing nations, where resources are limited and poverty plays a significant role; thus, protecting the environment serves a dual purpose,” Estifanos remarked.
Moreover, Ricketts pointed out that initiatives by governments and non-governmental organizations to enhance public health could be ineffective if deforestation outpaces these efforts. “If we neglect the environment, we risk jeopardizing the significant strides we’ve made in public health.”
“By safeguarding our natural surroundings, we can bolster public health strategies,” Estifanos affirmed. “Our project investigates the intersections between poverty and environmental conservation in relation to malaria transmission, demonstrating that environmental protection yields public health advantages.”
According to the World Health Organization, over 600,000 malaria-related deaths occurred globally in 2022, with the vast majority taking place in Africa. Children are especially at risk, making up over 75% of these fatalities.
