The paper is based on a pilot study conducted in the Sundarbans of Bay of Bengal (in South Asia) to understand the human-animal-ecosystems interfaces for mapping the wider determinants of human, animal and ecosystem health. The pilot study illustrated the key characteristics and ecological vulnerabilities of the Sundarbans ecosystems and the latter’s implications on society and economy.
It then provides a gap analysis in current approaches to health systems policy which focus predominantly on the financing, governance and service delivery components of medical care systems at the neglect of wider determinants of health, impeding collaboration with other key sectors (education, urban development, environment and forestry for example). This makes health systems detached from the causal factors of disease production in social, ecological, and environmental landscapes, and addresses diseases through expensive techno-managerial solutions.
The paper seeks to delineate the path of sustainable development at the interface of human-animalecosystems to promote human health and well-being, protect against pathogens (pandemic security), and halt and reverse environmental degradation. Using the One Health approach, it models a system-wide intervention design to embark on an eco-social contract in climate vulnerable contexts