The Cohab Initiative was established as an international programme of work to enhance health and well-being through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, working in partnership with UN agencies and other international organisations, governments, businesses, NGOs and local communities worldwide. Our mission aligns with the One Health concept and related approaches which recognise that the health of humans, animals, plants and ecosystems are intimately connected, and should be integrated in science, policy and practice.
Promote the integration of biodiversity, ecosystem health and the health of humans, animals and plants in science, policy and practice.
Raise awareness of the relationships between biodiversity and health and human well-being amongst all relevant actors, including inter alia governmental, intergovernmental, and non-governmental organisations, the private sector and civil society worldwide.
Promote international, inter-disciplinary, inter-agency and cross-community partnerships to promote sustainable development through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and the enhancement of human health and well-being.
Enhance knowledge on the interlinkages between biodiversity and health based on evidence, experience-sharing and lessons learned, and communicating the evidence to decision makers and other relevant stakeholders.
Although our core focus is on enhancing co-operation on health and biodiversity, the issues are relevant to a broad range of policy areas, economic sectors and scientific disciplines; therefore, Cohab’s work necessarily involves engagement across several thematic areas, particularly in the context of developing partnerships for people and planet, building and communicating the evidence base, and working with local communities. For example, addressing the relationships between biodiversity and nutrition requires consideration of issues in agriculture, fisheries, forestry, trade, and economic development, amongst others. Similarly, advancing knowledge of the role of ecosystems in moderating risks associated with non-communicable diseases including mental health challenges frequently requires engagement with land-use planners, city authorities, and organisations working in transport, urban engineering, social protection and equity.
An area of particular importance is climate action - many of the impacts of climate change on health are linked to climate-related impacts on biodiversity, whilst at the same time the conservation, sustainable use and restoration of biodiversity are widely recognised as increasingly important in addressing health implications of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Click on the tabs below to get an overview of how Cohab works to achieve its aims from global policy to local action.
At Cohab, our primary focus is on building partnerships with and between other organisations, communities and individuals working at global, national and local scales. The aims of these partnerships are to strengthen international and cross-sector co-operation, to facilitate knowledge exchange and experience sharing, and to foster synergy in areas of mutual interest. Further information on Cohab partnerships can be found here.
Cohab engages with intergovernmental organisations (UN and EU agencies, ASEAN, AU, Pacific Islands Forum, etc.) to promote partnerships, awareness, understanding and action on the linkages between health and biodiversity. We provide scientific, technical and diplomatic support to relevant secretariats, stakeholders and negotiators engaged in multilateral processes on the environment, health and development and other relevant issues, with the aim of promoting decision-making that is informed by a strong evidence base, accounting for scientific evidence and the experience and voices of local and indigenous communities.
In doing so, we work closely with other organisations to share knowledge, experience, perspectives and solutions. We help translate science and other forms of knowledge into concrete policy options, and help communities and other stakeholders understand the implications of international agreements for nature and health. Cohab regularly sends delegates to key meetings and conferences of multilateral agreements, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the World Health Assembly.
Cohab also engages with national and regional governments and related organisations to promote the integration of biodiversity and health across all relevant policy domains, and to inform practical approaches for addressing the interlinkages within national strategic planning. We also work closely with sub-national governments (e.g. local and city councils and mayors’ offices, local health services etc.) and their partners, helping them understand the issues and translate national policy responses into their local social and cultural contexts, and promoting innovative responses to societal challenges at the interface of biodiversity and human well-being.
Cohab partners with local and indigenous communities and their associated leadership organisations to explore and address their specific and often unique challenges at the interface of health and biodiversity. We collate local perspectives in order to ensure that our communications, policy and research work is appropriately informed by real world experiences, and facilitate inter-community dialogues to promote partnerships, knowledge-sharing and capacity-building. We also provide guidance for the planning and completion of local health and environmental assessments, and for development of nature-based solutions and ecosystem approaches to health and that are culturally competent and attuned to local priorities.
Further, we work to provide opportunities for local and indigenous representatives to participate in international scientific and governance processes and related dialogues, including as part of official Cohab delegations. Our aim is to support the involvement of these communities, facilitate their engagement and help to amplify their voices and perspectives in global processes.
Cohab provides numerous services to support, co-ordinate and communicate research into the relationships between biodiversity and health, working across a wide range of relevant research areas. This can include support for development and delivery of research programmes, methodologies, consortia, strategies and funding applications, as well as directing and conducting research activities. We provide oversight and review of research projects and outputs, and assist with reporting and communication of results. We further provide support for highlighting the relevance of research outputs to policy areas, and preparing briefs for decision makers, businesses, civil society, and the broader public.
Cohab has participated in several international research consortia, including EU -funded projects such as OpenNESS, ESMERALDA, GoGreenRoutes, and SELINA. Cohab has also contributed to global state-of-knowledge reviews on the linkages between biodiversity and health.
Cohab also carries out its own research activities to help identify and address gaps in knowledge, policy responses, and practical action, with a particular focus on identifying opportunities for strengthened global partnerships.
If you or your organisation are interested in engaging with Cohab for research into relevant areas, please send an email to research@cohabinitiative.org
Fostering an awareness and understanding of the relationships between biodiversity and human health and well-being is crucial to securing a future where all people can live healthy, prosperous lives in harmony with nature. In addition to working with intergovernmental agencies such as UNESCO and national departments of education, Cohab engages widely with educational institutions at primary, secondary and tertiary levels around the world to integrate biodiversity and health interlinkages into relevant curricula. We provide support to educators in developing modules on biodiversity and health, tailored to national or local contexts with relevant case studies, and with a view to encouraging students to explore the relevance of these issues to their chosen career paths and fields of expertise.
Cohab also seeks to provide support to early career researchers (ECRs), working across a broad range of disciplines where relationships between biodiversity and health are relevant. For example, Cohab works to provide opportunities for early career researchers to participate in intergovernmental and multi-lateral processes on biodiversity, health, climate and related policy areas, including as members of official Cohab delegations. Cohab is currently developing a formal ECR strategy as part of its broader strategic plan for the period 2026 – 2030, which will be published in Quarter 3, 2025.
Cohab also provides support to adult education and professional training programmes, including working with relevant professional associations, governmental agencies and trade bodies on the development and delivery of training materials. Cohab also works with certification and standards organisations to support training for continuing professional development and continuing medical education.
Whilst Cohab does not currently engage widely in broader public education, this website is intended as a public resource for information on the relationships between biodiversity and health, with summaries of key evidence, details of ongoing policy and research initiatives, practical case studies, recommendations for positive action, and perspectives from organisations active in relevant areas. Cohab staff are media trained and regularly participate in interviews and public fora on the issues.
Cohab operates as an independent entity in all of its advisory, assessment, diplomatic, education, investigative, and scientific efforts.
Regardless of whether, where or how we work for or with any governmental, intergovernmental, or non-governmental organisations, Cohab’s sole focus is to deliver on its mission through its strategic plan in an impartial and transparent manner. We strive to ensure that our work is always performed in line with applicable standards and current best practice in terms of scientific accuracy, integrity and quality. Cohab does not under any circumstance provide or endorse any form of support or action which does not comport with our core principles and mission or which are contrary to Cohab’s own understanding of scientific and technical accuracy, social or environmental need, or best practice, as determined by Cohab or by appropriately appointed officers acting on our behalf. This is a fundamental aspect of all of our work, wherever and however it is delivered.
Cohab frequently engages with multilateral processes and initiatives which require a level of impartiality. Our focus on partnerships for the health of people and the planet means all people and all ecosystems, in all parts of the world. To the extent that Cohab can make a meaningful contribution to sustainable development and to improving lives and livelihoods, we will do so in an unbiased and non-partisan manner, as far as we believe we can do whilst staying true to our core values and mission.
The Cohab Initiative work programmes, partnerships, communications and finances are administered by a Secretariat, which is currently based in Ireland. The Secretariat has established advisory panels to provide guidance and advice on key scientific, technical and governance matters. Panel members are consulted individually or collectively as required by the Secretariat.
The Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel is a multi-disciplinary panel comprising experts in relevant thematic areas, which provides guidance and support on key issues addressed by the Initiative. It provides advice on current knowledge and research on key issues, and otherwise provides technical support and direction on Cohab’s activities. Members of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel are appointed by the Secretariat on agreement, and with input from key partners.
In preparing its Strategic Plan and setting the objectives and goals of the Initiative, the Secretariat has taken expert advice on legal, financial and human resource matters covering all aspects of Cohab’s mission. The Secretariat has appointed a Corporate and Legal Advisory Panel to facilitate proper corporate governance , ensuring fairness in our dealings with partners and in the structuring of our work programmes, accountability for our conduct and actions, responsibility for corporate oversight at the Director level, and transparency about what we do, and how and why we do it. This panel comprises our appointed accountants, human resource management advisors and legal representatives.
Cohab’s activities, and the status and functions of the Secretariat and advisory panels, are reviewed annually.
Since it was founded in 2007, the Cohab Initiative has played an important role in connecting the global priorities of biodiversity and health in many arenas from global agreements to national and regional strategies, and from local governance to community action and capacity building for sustainable development. We regularly track our performance and measure our impact in order to ensure we are effectively delivering on our strategic vision.
Through our diplomatic outreach, scientific collaboration, communications, education and training efforts, we have raised the profile of the importance of biodiversity to health and well-being in intergovernmental dialogues and within the programme areas of intergovernmental agencies, national and local governments, NGOs, businesses and academic institutions. Cohab has for many years directly engaged in multi-lateral policy processes where we have assisted in the development, drafting, negotiation, costing, planning and implementation of various decisions under international environmental conventions. Cohab has been referenced in several of these decisions, including at the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, and identified as a key partner in these policy processes.
Cohab has advised on or contributed to national, local and regional biodiversity strategies and action plans, highlighting linkages between biodiversity and health and helping to devise practical responses that are tailored to relevant social and policy contexts. We have promoted relevant practical approaches in national and local public health strategies for addressing health priorities, including providing guidance on One Health, ecosystem approaches and nature-based solutions for health.
Through our networking, conferencing, capacity building and broader communications efforts, Cohab has also facilitated and supported the development and expansion of partnerships for integrated science, policy and practice around the world. To date (2025) we have delivered training materials and modules to over 1,000 students, civil servants, and business professionals around the world.
Cohab’s new strategic plan for the period 2026 – 2030 is currently under development and will be published before the end of 2025. This will contain a list of new key performance indicators by which we will improve monitoring and reporting of our activities and impacts.