Coexistence Nexus in practice: integrating One Health into the food-biodiversity challenge in Central America

This is a Preprint and has not been peer reviewed. This is version 1 of this Preprint. You must log in to post a comment. There are no comments or no comments have been made public for this article. This is a Preprint and has not been peer reviewed. This is version 1 of this Preprint. Add a Comment You must log in to post a comment. Comments There are no comments or no comments have been made public for this article. Reconciling biodiversity conservation, food security, and human health remains a major sustainability challenge, largely because these dimensions are often examined in isolation. Here, we present an integrated analytical framework that extends coexistence theory by explicitly incorporating zoonotic emergence within a One Health perspective. Using Central America as a case study, we combine spatial indicators of anthropogenic pressure, livestock density, biodiversity, and disease occurrence to identify convergence zones of socio-ecological vulnerability. Our analyses reveal non-linear interactions and asymmetries among coexistence parameters, underscoring that zoonotic emergence arises from constellations of pressures rather than single drivers. We further show how integrated vulnerability mapping can translate this conceptual framework into operational tools, highlighting areas where interventions are likely to yield the greatest co-benefits. Overall, this approach provides a transferable method for identifying leverage points where targeted actions can simultaneously reduce disease risk, strengthen food security, and support biodiversity conservation. By reframing sustainability challenges through an explicitly integrated One Health lens, it offers a practical pathway for guiding policy and land-use strategies toward more resilient socio-ecological systems. https://doi.org/10.32942/X2ZD3K Life Sciences, Medicine and Health Sciences Planetary Health, Zoonosis, Food Security, Environmental Change, Conservation Published: 2026-03-08 09:16 Last Updated: 2026-03-08 09:16 Conflict of interest statement: None Data and Code Availability Statement: Data available upon request Language: English