Title: Integration of One Health in conservation policies for achieving optimal health and environmental outcomes in India

Authors: Avantika Adhruj; Dhanya Bhaskar

Addresses: Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhadbhada Road, Nehru Nagar, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, 462003, India ' Faculty of Ecosystem and Environment Management, Centre for Policy Studies, Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal, 462003, India

Abstract: The One Health (OH) approach highlights the interconnection between human, animal and environmental health. Environmental stressors and zoonotic diseases pose significant risks to human health, reinforcing the need to incorporate OH principles in policies and laws. Given the strong policy and legal environment in India for biodiversity conservation, in this study, we evaluate how well India's conservation laws align with OH. We conducted a summative content analysis of major conservation legislations in India. Our analysis reveals that while India has made significant progress towards the OH approach, including the launch of the OH mission, there is still scope to learn from global examples. Although the country's conservation legislations currently lack comprehensive inclusion of OH components, certain legislations such as the Forest Rights Act, Wildlife Protection Act and National Forest Policy hold great potential to explicitly include core concepts of OH. Further, we offer recommendations to strengthen integration of OH perspective in India's conservation policy regime.

Keywords: One Health; policies; animal-health; human-health; environmental stressors; environmental-health; diseases; zoonotic-diseases; well-being; antimicrobial-resistance; India.

DOI: 10.1504/IER.2026.152844

Interdisciplinary Environmental Review, 2026 Vol.25 No.2, pp.130 - 148

Received: 13 Jul 2025
Accepted: 01 Oct 2025
Published online: 13 Apr 2026 *

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