Project description DEENESFRITPL Protecting forests during a pandemic Protecting our natural forests is important to safeguarding human well-being and health. It can also prevent future pandemics. The case of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a heightened level of urgency as regards planetary health, is taking a heavy toll on our forests. The EU-funded PlanetHealth project will explore the effects and mechanisms of the COVID-19 crisis on forest dynamics. For instance, changes in economic incentives are measured with global crop suitability maps, global crop price fluctuations and geocoded survey data. Project findings will shed light on the impact of COVID-19 on deforestation. The project’s results will assist conservation strategies by investigating the dynamic relationship between health, global shocks and forest losses. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective The COVID-19 pandemic is likely the most quickly and widely spreading global crisis of our times. Caused by a nature-borne disease, this crisis is introducing a new level of urgency to the global discussion on sustainability and planetary health as illness and death, economic uncertainty and governmental shut-downs reshape agricultural incentives at the global forest margins. PlanetHealth investigates the effects and mechanisms of the COVID-19 crisis on forest dynamics at the global and local level. It combines a global grid-based dataset (5-by-5 km) of high-frequency spatial data on forest outcomes (losses, fires, fragmentation) with spatialized ex-ante COVID-19 exposure measures. Changes in economic incentives across space are measured with global crop suitability maps, global crop price fluctuations, and geocoded survey data to analyze the labor market mechanisms at play. Their effects on natural habitats are expected to be spatially diverse, depending on bio-physical, economic, and political conditions. A channel analysis highlights the transmission effects along industry types (e.g. tourism, services) and household characteristics (e.g. education, female labor participation). PlanetHealth advances the environmental economics sciences by combining geographical and ecological methodologies with quasi-experimental econometric approaches. Relying on modern shift-share designs will allow for a causal quantification and spatialization of COVID-19 impacts on deforestation. Protecting the worlds’ natural forests becomes increasingly valuable as a strategy to safeguard human well-being and health. PlanetHealth will inform such conservation strategies by investigating the dynamic relationship between health, global shocks, and forest losses. Understanding the heterogeneous pathways will generate valuable information for stakeholders who aim to mitigate the environmental effects of the current pandemic and to identify the strategies for tackling future crises. Fields of science social scienceseconomics and businesseconomicsmedical and health scienceshealth sciencespublic healthepidemiologypandemicsmedical and health scienceshealth sciencesinfectious diseasesRNA virusescoronavirusesagricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturesocial scienceseconomics and businessbusiness and managementemployment Keywords environmental economics and policy agricultural economics forest conservation spatial statistics development economics natural disasters pandemics COVID-19 applied econometrics Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2020 - Individual Fellowships Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2020 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF) Coordinator GEORG-AUGUST-UNIVERSITAT GOTTINGEN STIFTUNG OFFENTLICHEN RECHTS Net EU contribution € 264 669,12 Address Wilhelmsplatz 1 37073 Gottingen Germany See on map Region Niedersachsen Braunschweig Göttingen Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 Partners (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all Partner Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement. THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM United States Net EU contribution € 0,00 Address Colorado street 601 78701 2982 Austin See on map Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 177 265,92
