One Health
Human health and wellbeing are connected to the health of the natural world.
The Challenge
Everything we do as people depends on a liveable, healthy planet.
Unfortunately, we've ignored this connection for far too long and created significant risks. These include the spread of diseases and pests because of climate change and the chance of future pandemics from badly controlled wildlife harvest or habitat destruction.
The One Health initiative is an effort to change our perspective and consider how our decisions affect the systems we rely on. We need to strengthen these systems to ensure our own health.
Our Solutions
Monitoring and supporting healthy bat populations
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Our western bats program has played a key role in tracking the spread of deadly white-nose syndrome through an innovative bridge monitoring program.
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We’re developing a treatment that can increase bats’ resistance to the disease.
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We’re looking at ways to support bat populations through habitat protection and restoration and use of well-designed artificial roosts.
Making One Health part of conservation planning
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WCS Canada is working with our global colleagues to increase support for and implementation of the One Health Berlin Principles. These call on governments to include an understanding of the One Health perspective in their plans and policies, including actions to lower the risks of future pandemics.
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In southern Ontario, we’re working with Conservation Authorities to extend the One Health concept to watershed-level planning and monitoring efforts.
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We're collaborating with WCS international to increase support for and implementation of the One Health Berlin Principles, which call on governments to integrate an understanding of the One Health perspective into their plans and policies, including actions to lower the risks of future pandemics.
Monitoring the health of traditional food species
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We’re working with Inuvialuit communities to assess the health of seals along the Arctic coast, including their exposure to microplastics.
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We’re assessing the health of lake sturgeon in northern Ontario rivers and studying how more mining could release heavy metals into northern watersheds, affecting the safety of fish.
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We’ve supported research on the possible impacts of climate change on salmon in the Yukon River system. These fish are a key source of food for communities in Yukon and Alaska.
Projects
Assessing seal diet and health
We are working with Inuit in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region to assess seal diets and contaminants as indicators of a changing Arctic ecosystem.
Learning from Lake Sturgeon
Big fish need healthy rivers.
Stories and op-eds
This World Wildlife Day, what are we willing to sacrifice for “progress”?
Constance O'Connor
Turning the frame: What we miss when we rush decisions about nature
It seems like 2025 has been characterized by daily news stories about “fast tracking” development or “cutting red tape.”Justina Ray
