The impact of nature on human health
A local retired GP talks about promoting good health and wellbeing in the population and how it is important to preserve the natural environment for this purpose and many others.
Firstly, the World Health Organisation (WHO) defines health as:
“a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
The South Pennines Wind Energy Landscape Study 2014 by Julie Martin and Associates says:
“there are extensive views from elevated locations in all directions. The open and broadly level plateau tops provide uninterrupted visibility over long distances, with wide horizons, big skies and a strong sense of relative isolation and remoteness.”
Here is a selection of important research that supports support the importance of landscapes like ours for helping people to be healthier and happier.
J Environ Res Public Health – 30 Apr 2021
Associations between Nature and Health: A review found evidence for associations between exposure to nature and improved cognitive function, brain activity, blood pressure, mental health, physical activity, and sleep. Evidence from experimental studies suggested protective effects of exposure to natural environments on mental health outcomes and cognitive function. Cross-sectional observational studies provide evidence of positive associations between exposure to nature, higher levels of physical activity and lower levels of cardiovascular disease.
Public Health and Landscape: Creating healthy places – Landscape Institute Position Statement Nov 2013
Our landscapes have an important role to play in improving public health – so let’s invest in them. There are five principles.
Healthy Places:
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- Improve air, water and soil quality, incorporating measures that help us adapt to, and where possible mitigate, climate change
- Help overcome health inequalities and can promote healthy lifestyles
- Make people feel comfortable and at ease, increasing social interaction and reducing antisocial behaviour, isolation and stress
- Optimise opportunities for working, learning and development
- Are restorative, uplifting and healing for both physical and mental health
Conserving Lakeland –
The Magazine of Friends of the Lake District –
Issue Number 96 – Winter 2024
Friends of the Lakes District planning officer Lorayne Wall explores what tranquillity means and why it’s important to protect it.
“Tranquillity is often thought of being mainly about noise but it’s a complex concept and there’s a lot more to it. Noise is clearly a factor, but activity, movement, light, smells and structures also come into play. The permanence of a particular factor and whether it is natural or manmade also affects the overall level of tranquillity. The relationship between different factors and their context is also important. A dry stone wall is manmade but uses natural stone which is usually always local. Tranquillity is about how a place makes us feel, our expectations and understanding of different characteristics and components of the landscape and what this means to us. Tranquillity is both subjective and relative perceived differently by everyone depending on personal values. New developments can erode tranquillity by introducing structures, noise and activity into areas previously free of them. Locating manmade structures in areas perceived to be natural or with a traditional character also detracts from tranquillity levels. While we know tranquillity is important its complexity means that it is often misunderstood. It can also be difficult to articulate and effectively challenge threats to it. Loss of tranquillity harms the character of a landscape. Through its loss we lose the enjoyment, health and wellbeing benefits that tranquillity brings.”
Green Social Prescribing Test and Learn Programme –
To Tackle and Prevent Mental Ill-health: 2021-2023
In July 2020, Environment Secretary, George Eustice, announced a £5.77 million investment for a cross-government Green Social Prescribing project, funded by Treasury and core partners, aimed at preventing and tackling mental ill health through green social prescribing.
A survey of GPs, carried out before the pandemic, identified that 2 in 5 consultations (40%) were about mental health concerns. Recent research by the Mental Health Foundation and London School of Economics suggested that mental ill-health costs the UK economy up to £117.9 billion per annum. Evidence shows that actively connecting with nature improves mental health and wellbeing. Green Social Prescribing (GSP) supports people to engage in nature based interventions and activities to improve their mental health. A survey of 8,500 people on the programme shows a statistically significant improvement in mental health for GSP participants with a positive take up rate of GSP activities (85%+).
It is clear from the above that encouraging people with mental health problems to participate in nature based activity would potentially save a huge amount of money for the NHS. It is therefore vital that we do not lose our precious natural environment.
To see the report click HERE
Conclusions
From all these observation it is quite clear that the preservation of the natural environment is crucially important in the maintenance of good health and wellbeing. It is vital that the permanence of landscape albeit changed by natural processes should be preserved. Tranquillity is an important part of wellbeing and this can be eroded by the introduction of structures, noise and activity into area previously free of them.
Our moorland is a precious environment used by many people for exercise, fresh air, enjoyment and solace. This was particularly noticeable during the Covid Pandemic when thousands of people found the open space of the moorland invaluable. The moorland to the north of Manchester is known as the ‘Green Lung of Manchester’ for good reason. This moorland is a vital importance to secure the health and wellbeing of the Greater Manchester and Rossendale populations.