The project has advanced significantly across all work packages (WPs). WP1 involved a comprehensive literature review, screening over 52,000 papers and extracting data from 173 studies, 30 policy briefs, and 58 grey literature sources, revealing that restoration generally reduces zoonotic disease risk, though impacts vary by context and ecosystem type. An interactive online evidence map and a shortlist of 50 high-priority research locations were also created. The accompanying policy review analysed 30 key policies and found limited integration of One Health and public health concerns, recommending stronger cross-sector collaboration and equity considerations. Additionally, a mobile simulation game ("Restore") was developed to explore trade-offs between restoration and disease, producing structured decision-making data from 69 players. In WP2, protocols for rapid biodiversity surveys using eDNA (from vegetation swabs and carrion flies) and acoustic recordings have been published and refined, with sampling completed across several countries (e.g. Tanzania, DRC, Scotland), including over 1,200 rodents and 20,000 audio files acriss 64 temperate sites and 39 tropical sites, with sampling ongoing. A novel CRISPR-based mNGS assay was also developed to detect pathogens in small mammals with far greater sensitivity and cost-effectiveness than existing commercial tools. WP3 has launched experiments in Finland, Scotland, Sweden, and Tanzania to investigate density-dependent transmission dynamics, alongside a mathematical model capturing species-specific infection processes under varying restoration scenarios. In WP4, fieldwork and stakeholder interviews have been conducted in flagship case sites (DRC, Tanzania, Belgium) to refine research protocols. Lastly, WP5 has produced initial scripts for unsupervised change detection in land use data, supporting ongoing spatial analysis of restoration impacts.
