**BioRodDis: A Transdisciplinary Eco-health Project to Evaluate the Relationship between Micromammal Biodiversity and Zoonoses Risks in Europe**

**I. Arpin1 , C. Massart1 , V. Bourret2 , G. Castel1 , V.C. Colombo3 , J. Eccard4 , J. Firozpoor4 , M. Grzybek5 , H. Henttonen2, H. Leirs3 , A. McManus6 , B. Roche7, T. Sironen2 , V. Sluydts3 , P. Stuart6 , A. Zintl8 , and N. Charbonnel1**

<sup>1</sup> INRAE, France 2University of Helsinki, Finland 3University of Antwerp, Belgium 4University of Potsdam, Germany 5University of Gdansk, Poland 6Munster Technological University, Ireland <sup>7</sup> Institut de recherche pour le developpement (IRD), France 8University College Dublin, Ireland

How does biological diversity alteration lead to the emergence of zoonotic diseases? This question has received a lot of attention because of the concomitant occurrence of habitat alteration, biodiversity loss, as well as pathogen transmission and emergence from wildlife. However, the scientific community is struggling to precisely understand how biodiversity affects disease emergence. The Biodiversa Bioroddis project (2020- 2024) aims at elucidating these interlinkages between biodiversity and diseases at local and European scales using standardized assessments of biodiversity and disease risks. We tackle this complex question by focusing on rodent-borne diseases, as rodents have long been recognized as important reservoirs of infectious agents with a high transmission potential for humans and domestic animals. We focus on forests and urban parks as environments where rodents are abundant, human/domestic wildlife interactions occur, and efforts are undertaken to preserve biodiversity. The main objective of Bioroddis is to establish science–policy interfaces enabling the design of win–win strategies (prevention, ecosystem management, and practice implementation) in support of nature–health benefits. Due to the complexity of this health and environmental issue, a multi-disciplinary approach and a close dialogue between disciplines (interdisciplinarity) have been implemented to improve the understanding and management of these zoonoses. A transdisciplinarity approach is also at the heart of Bioroddis, through the definition of a common conceptual eco-health framework, based on shared theories, concepts, and approaches. Two years on from the beginning of the project, we are evaluating the capacity of Bioroddis to achieve transdisciplinarity. The results of this evaluation, based on a semi-quantitative method, are presented in this poster.

I. Arpin1, C. Massart1, V. Bourret2, G. Castel1, V.C. Colombo3, J. Eccard4, J. Firozpoor4, M. Grzybek5, H. Henttonen2, H. Leirs3, A. McManus6, B. Roche7, T. Sironen2, V. Sluydts3, P. Stuart6, A. Zintl8, and N. Charbonnel1

1 INRAE, France


#### Our Objectives

To improve the understanding and management of rodent-borne zoonoses in forests and urban parks, from biological and socioenvironmental points of view;

To implement a multi-disciplinary approach and a close dialogue between disciplines (inter- disciplinarity);

To develop transdisciplinarity through the definition of a common conceptual EcoHealth framework;

Two years into the BioRodDis project, to evaluate its capacity to achieve transdisciplinarity.

#### The State of the Art

How does biological diversity alteration lead to the emergence of zoonotic diseases? This question

has received a lot of attention, because of the concomitant occurrence of habitat alteration and biodiversity loss, as well as pathogen transmission and emergence from wildlife.

However, the scientific community is struggling to understand exactly how biodiversity affects disease emergence.

A transdisciplinary EcoHealth approach is required to address this problem.

The Biodiversa-BioRodDis project (2020-2023) aims to elucidate the interlinkages between biodiversity and diseases at local

and European scales. We focus on rodent-borne diseases, as rodents are important reservoirs of infectious agents, with a high transmission potential for humans and domestic animals. We consider forests and urban parks to be environments where rodents are abundant, human/domestic wildlife interactions occur, and efforts are undertaken to preserve biodiversity.

What relationships between living beings favour the circulation and transmission of rodent-borne pathogens?

High scores for all aspects related to the description of the system, the division of tasks within the team and the sharing of data and methods.

BioRodDis Framework Semi-Quantitative Evaluation of Inter- and Transdisciplinarity

A consulting rather than participatory transdisciplinary

### Methods Disciplines

While working on rodent-borne diseases, a relatively weak harmful problem in Europe, the COVID-19 crisis, a super harmful problem, affected the transdisciplinarity of the project.

Definition of a common EcoHealth framework based on shared theories, concepts and approaches: Findings Low scores for all criteria related to

> 1- It undermined our capacity to involve many societal actors that we had planned to involve.

gathered: Conclusion Identification and Interviews of Stakeholders

> 2- It allowed for productive discussions with some local societal actors about issues that would probably not have been addressed in the case of super harmful problems.


Meetings

1- Users and managers of the sites surveyed and general practitioners operating in the vicinity of the sites.

2- Stakeholders from the conservation, veterinary, human health and public health sectors, interested in rodents and their pathogens at the national or European level.

doi:10.5751/es-10935-240236

the involvement of societal actors in all phases of the project cycle.
