Geographical Association of Bird Species Richness with All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Rates of Local Residents: An Ecological Study in China
The pressing ecological challenges of the twenty-first century underscore the need for biodiversity protection. The “One Health” approach, which integrates human, animal, and environmental health, has become increasingly vital. This study investigates the relationship between bird species richness,...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| author | Ning Zhang Jinling You Qiaochu Xu Jiacheng Cai Kelvin P. Jordan Li Li Tanchun Yu Ying Chen |
| author_facet | Ning Zhang Jinling You Qiaochu Xu Jiacheng Cai Kelvin P. Jordan Li Li Tanchun Yu Ying Chen |
| author_sort | Ning Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The pressing ecological challenges of the twenty-first century underscore the need for biodiversity protection. The “One Health” approach, which integrates human, animal, and environmental health, has become increasingly vital. This study investigates the relationship between bird species richness, an important indicator of biodiversity, and both all-cause and cause-specific mortality rates in China. This nationwide county-level ecological study combined citizen science bird data from the China Bird Report Center, all-cause and cause-specific mortality rates of 2021 from the National Mortality Surveillance System, and county-level statistics of population characteristics, socio-economics, education, and healthcare services. We employed univariate and multivariate linear regressions to explore the association between bird diversity and mortality rates. Overall, data from 421 counties revealed a negative association between bird species richness and all-cause mortality rates, with a regression coefficient (95% confidence interval) of −0.197 (−0.376, −0.017). This study also found significant negative associations between bird species richness and cause-specific mortality rates for several diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases (including cerebrovascular and ischemic heart diseases) and cancers (including lung cancer). The effects of associations were similar between both genders. Our findings underscore the significance of biodiversity conservation for public health and highlight the importance of integrated environmental and health policies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-088dc3ea58a14862a4c092bdf9794ef6 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2075-1729 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Life |
| spelling | doaj-art-088dc3ea58a14862a4c092bdf9794ef62025-08-20T03:27:21ZengMDPI AGLife2075-17292025-05-0115687510.3390/life15060875Geographical Association of Bird Species Richness with All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Rates of Local Residents: An Ecological Study in ChinaNing Zhang0Jinling You1Qiaochu Xu2Jiacheng Cai3Kelvin P. Jordan4Li Li5Tanchun Yu6Ying Chen7Wisdom Lake Academy of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, ChinaNational Center for Chronic and Non-Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100050, ChinaWisdom Lake Academy of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, ChinaWisdom Lake Academy of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, ChinaSchool of Medicine, Keele University, Keele ST5 5BG, UKDepartment of Health and Environmental Sciences, School of Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, ChinaDepartment of Nutrition and Health Education, National Institute for Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100050, ChinaWisdom Lake Academy of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, ChinaThe pressing ecological challenges of the twenty-first century underscore the need for biodiversity protection. The “One Health” approach, which integrates human, animal, and environmental health, has become increasingly vital. This study investigates the relationship between bird species richness, an important indicator of biodiversity, and both all-cause and cause-specific mortality rates in China. This nationwide county-level ecological study combined citizen science bird data from the China Bird Report Center, all-cause and cause-specific mortality rates of 2021 from the National Mortality Surveillance System, and county-level statistics of population characteristics, socio-economics, education, and healthcare services. We employed univariate and multivariate linear regressions to explore the association between bird diversity and mortality rates. Overall, data from 421 counties revealed a negative association between bird species richness and all-cause mortality rates, with a regression coefficient (95% confidence interval) of −0.197 (−0.376, −0.017). This study also found significant negative associations between bird species richness and cause-specific mortality rates for several diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases (including cerebrovascular and ischemic heart diseases) and cancers (including lung cancer). The effects of associations were similar between both genders. Our findings underscore the significance of biodiversity conservation for public health and highlight the importance of integrated environmental and health policies.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/15/6/875biodiversitybird speciesmortality ratehuman healthepidemiologyOne Health |
| spellingShingle | Ning Zhang Jinling You Qiaochu Xu Jiacheng Cai Kelvin P. Jordan Li Li Tanchun Yu Ying Chen Geographical Association of Bird Species Richness with All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Rates of Local Residents: An Ecological Study in China Life biodiversity bird species mortality rate human health epidemiology One Health |
| title | Geographical Association of Bird Species Richness with All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Rates of Local Residents: An Ecological Study in China |
| title_full | Geographical Association of Bird Species Richness with All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Rates of Local Residents: An Ecological Study in China |
| title_fullStr | Geographical Association of Bird Species Richness with All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Rates of Local Residents: An Ecological Study in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Geographical Association of Bird Species Richness with All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Rates of Local Residents: An Ecological Study in China |
| title_short | Geographical Association of Bird Species Richness with All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Rates of Local Residents: An Ecological Study in China |
| title_sort | geographical association of bird species richness with all cause and cause specific mortality rates of local residents an ecological study in china |
| topic | biodiversity bird species mortality rate human health epidemiology One Health |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/15/6/875 |
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