Change your region to see local content and links Choose region
A healthy planet
means healthy humans
Almost all aspects of human health depend on a thriving natural world. From fresh air, clean water and food to energy, medicines and materials, nature is vital to our survival and well-being.
The societal and economic impacts of COVID-19 are devastating and we need to realise how humanity’s relationship with nature contributes to the emergence of these diseases, to stop it from happening again.
We'd love to know
COVID-19 is nature sending us a message
Did you know that around 60% of infectious diseases that affect people start in animals?
New zoonotic diseases, which jump from animals to humans, have increasingly emerged in recent decades. These include Ebola, SARS and, most recently, COVID-19.
This unwelcome increase has been driven by destroying forests and other natural habitats for agriculture and taking wild animals out of their natural homes to trade or farm intensively – both of which leads to higher levels of contact between wildlife and humans.
What can you do?
Humanity’s increasing destruction of nature is having catastrophic impacts not only on wildlife populations but also on human health and all aspects of our lives.
Do something about it
Keep exploring
The economy
Almost all of our economic activity relies on nature. If we don’t tackle the nature loss crisis, we risk huge disruption to the world’s economies and harm to the lives and livelihoods of many millions.
Learn more
Food security
Thousands of species of plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms are used for food. A vast range of others are essential to food production – ranging from pollinators that enable crop reproduction to microorganisms that enrich soils.
Learn more
Voices for a living planet
A wide variety of thinkers and practitioners from around the world to share their unique views on how, as a global community, we could build a resilient and healthy planet for people and nature in a post COVID-19 world.
Learn more
© 2020 WWF - World Wide Fund For Nature © 1986 Panda Symbol WWF – World Wide Fund For Nature (formerly World Wildlife Fund) ® “WWF” is a WWF Registered Trademark