"The Crucial Role of Bats in Preventing Future Pandemics"
A new paper in Nature Communications, authored by a team of ecologists, infectious disease scientists, and policy experts, emphasizes the ecological origins of pandemics and offers three recommendations to prevent spillovers and halt epidemics before they start. The recommendations focus on protecting animals' food sources, habitats, and human communities at risk, aiming to reduce stress on wildlife and minimize human-wildlife interactions. The paper highlights the importance of considering the whole ecosystem in pandemic prevention and advocates for implementing ecological solutions to address the root causes of spillovers.