ZOE

PROJECT PRESENTATION

About the project ZOE is a four-year international research project examining the links between ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss and the emergence of zoonotic diseases – diseases that can spread from animals to humans. The project focuses on tropical biodiversity hotspots and temperate regions with a history of environmental degradation. Biodiversity in the study areas is assessed through remote sensing, geobotanical mapping and trapping of potential disease vectors. High-throughput sequencing of microbiomes and viromes, combined with serological analyses, is used to evaluate exposure to zoonotic pathogens across different environmental conditions. A key component of the project is close collaboration with local communities, with whom ZOE explores perceptions of land-use change, disease outbreaks and coping strategies. Findings are synthesised into modelling frameworks and risk maps to support cost-effective monitoring and early warning systems. The project is also developing an online knowledge platform to connect researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders at the interface of biodiversity and health.

Consortium

ZOE brings together an interdisciplinary consortium from eleven countries – seven EU member states and four from Central America – combining expertise in geography, ecology, virology, sociology and related fields.

ZOE – Zoonoses Emergence across Degraded and Restored Forest Ecosystems EU Project | HORIZON-CL6-2023-BIODIV-01-17 (GA n°101135094) | Duration: 1 January 2024 – 31 December 2027

Contact: Tea Knapič

Links:

• ZOE project website
• How does biodiversity loss contribute to the spread of new infectious diseases?
• Visit of the ZOE project coordinators, 12–13 March 2025