03/09/2026
🌎 Latin America Advances Integrated One Health Solutions at the Wallace Scientific Conference
From March 3–5, the campus of CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) in Turrialba, Costa Rica, hosted the IX Wallace Scientific Conference, bringing together 169 participants from around the world to explore how the health of soil, water, ecosystems, animals and people is deeply interconnected.
Scientists, government representatives, private sector leaders, international organizations and research institutions gathered to discuss the region’s most pressing challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, water security and food security.
Guided by the One Health approach, the conference fostered interdisciplinary dialogue on the need to integrate human, animal and environmental health into public policy, productive systems and sustainable development strategies across Latin America and the Caribbean.
During the opening session, Laura Benegas, Director of Research for Inclusive Green Development at CATIE and General Coordinator of the conference, emphasized the urgency of adopting this integrated perspective:
“Human health, animal health and ecosystem health are inseparable. In our region—where climate variability, biodiversity loss, pollution and food insecurity converge—One Health is not a concept for the future, but a framework for decisions we must make today.”
Throughout the conference, international experts addressed six key themes shaping the future of sustainable development:
🌱 Soil Health
🌿 Plant Health
🐄 Animal Health
🌳 Ecosystem Health
💧 One Water for One Health
🍎 Agri-Food Systems and Human Health
Scientific discussions highlighted the need to strengthen resilient agri-food systems, reduce environmental impacts of agricultural production and expand nature-based solutions to address the climate and health crises.
The conference featured:
• 9 international keynote speakers
• More than 60 specialists presenting research
• Over 100 researchers contributing scientific work
Beyond scientific exchange, the event strengthened global collaboration networks, promoted policy recommendations and encouraged investment in sustainable and nature-based solutions for the region.
Since its creation in 2002, the Wallace Scientific Conference has become one of the region’s leading platforms connecting science, innovation and public policy to advance sustainable agriculture, natural resource management and biodiversity conservation.
The 9th edition reaffirmed that the resilience of Latin America will depend on its ability to integrate environmental, animal and human health into the systems that sustain our societies.
