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Ecosystem Services

Volume 12, April 2015, Pages 1-15

Exploring connections among nature, biodiversity, ecosystem services, and human health and well-being: Opportunities to enhance health and biodiversity conservation☆

Author links open overlay panelPaul A.Sandifera1 Ariana E.Sutton-Grierb1 Bethney P.Wardc Show more https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2014.12.007 Get rights and content Under a Creative Commons license open access

Highlights

•: Evidence links biodiversity to ecosystem services (ES) and health to nature exposure.
•: A few novel studies link biodiversity exposure to improved health and well-being.
•: We provide a comprehensive summary of health effects of ES, nature and biodiversity.
•: Future research should address causation of health benefits and action mechanisms.
•: New multidisciplinary collaborations are needed to enhance health and conservation.

Abstract

We are at a key juncture in history where biodiversity loss is occurring daily and accelerating in the face of population growth, climate change, and rampant development. Simultaneously, we are just beginning to appreciate the wealth of human health benefits that stem from experiencing nature and biodiversity. Here we assessed the state of knowledge on relationships between human health and nature and biodiversity, and prepared a comprehensive listing of reported health effects. We found strong evidence linking biodiversity with production of ecosystem services and between nature exposure and human health, but many of these studies were limited in rigor and often only correlative. Much less information is available to link biodiversity and health. However, some robust studies indicate that exposure to microbial biodiversity can improve health, specifically in reducing certain allergic and respiratory diseases. Overall, much more research is needed on mechanisms of causation. Also needed are a re-envisioning of land-use planning that places human well-being at the center and a new coalition of ecologists, health and social scientists and planners to conduct research and develop policies that promote human interaction with nature and biodiversity. Improvements in these areas should enhance human health and ecosystem, community, as well as human resilience.

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Keywords

Ecosystem service Nature Biodiversity Human health Policy Conservation Recommended articlesCiting articles (0)

☆: The authors declare they have no actual or potential competing financial interests or known personal conflicts of interest. Dr. Sutton-Grier was partially supported by NOAA grant NA14NES4320003 (Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites -CICS) at the University of Maryland/ESSIC. This paper was written as part of the official duties of the authors and while all were employed by or affiliated with NOAA.

1: These authors contributed equally to this article.

View AbstractPublished by Elsevier B.V.

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