Collaboration between researchers, green space planners and health bodies vital, says study
Communication and collaboration between researchers, public health and land use officials could lead to rapid progress in the investigation of the impact of urban policies on human health and wellbeing, according to a study.
Published in the journal Ecosystem Services, a US review has been co-authored by a number of scientists on the subject of connections between exposure to the natural environment and improved physiological and psychological health.
“The communication links are the first step to getting well-rounded policies and getting the value of nature out to wider communities, such as policymakers,” said co-author Dr Paul Sandifer, recently retired chief science advisor for the National Ocean Service at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa).
This push for collaboration between different experts to create better policies for human wellbeing echoes the sentiments of an article written by CEO and chair of the Global Wellness Summit, Susie Ellis and co-author Renee Moorefield. In the article, the authors promote the idea of a Ministry of Wellness that would have a “bridge-building” role between governmental departments to prolong human life on our planet by aligning policies with health-focused research.
Sandifer told the BBC that he and his co-authors identified key literature from a vast quantity of different sources to find evidence of certain characteristics of biodiversity or nature and their effects on mental or physiological wellbeing.
“The one area we identified where there was a fair amount of new evidence was the study of microbiota and its influence on inflammatory diseases,” said Sandifer. “For example, a study in 2012 suggested a lack of exposure to a ‘natural environment’ could be resulting in more urban dwellers developing allergies and asthma. Finnish scientists said certain bacteria, shown to be beneficial for human health, were found in greater abundance in non-urban surroundings.”
There is also a considerable amount of research looking at the difference between good and bad green spaces in urban areas, but almost no data at all when it comes to marine or coastal environments.
“Probably the one area where rapid progress could be made is improving communication and collaboration between land-use and city planners, people involved in public health – both research and application – and their connection to ecological science,” said Sandifer.
“Ecologists are within their field and rarely reach outside it,” added Sandifer. “Biomedical researchers, it seems, rarely have the time to reach out. There is a gap between the two where we really need to do a much better job of communicating.”
Positive steps in the right direction, noted by Sandifer, include The American Public Health Association’s new policy recognising the value of nature and the UK’s University of Exeter’s European Centre for Environment and Human Health – which has explored the value of green spaces.
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