The Health and Social Benefits of Nature and Biodiversity Protection

Protecting nature and biodiversity is helping to tackle urgent health and social challenges across Europe. This IEEP study shows how urban, suburban and rural green areas bring multiple and often overlooked benefits to society.

Topics

Biodiversity
Conservation
Ecosystem services
Human well-being
Land management
Landscape
Protected areas
Public health
Social justice
Societal choice

Constraints

There remain important gaps in knowledge of the health-social-nature links and there is a need for information to support both research and actions.

Product requirements

European society faces a growing range of health and social problems: respiratory diseases from air pollution, heat stress, noise, obesity and related diseases, such as Type-2 diabetes. There is also a growing recognition that many individuals feel isolated and socially excluded in modern society. There is a need for measures to promote social inclusion and cohesion, and to develop a sense of wellbeing, place, and self-esteem.
There are multiple solutions to the complex problems outlined above. This report presents a summary of the evidence on the challenges, the role that nature can play in addressing these challenges, what different stakeholders are doing and can do to build on the health-social - nature synergies and elements of a road map for a way forward.
It builds on both a study carried out in 2015 and early 2016 (literature review and interviews), the range of case examples studied from across the EU, and the discussions from a two day workshop held in Brussels on the 27th and 28th of January 2016 and hosted by the Committee of the Regions.

Advantages

European society faces a range of health and social issues that merit urgent attention. The EU health sector represents 15% of public expenditure and health care costs are expected to increase. At the same time, there is considerable pressure on public spending budgets.
While nature cannot be a remedy to all challenges of society (e.g. air pollution control will primarily need to address the sources of pollution), there exist untapped opportunities to realise health and social benefits that often come with co-benefits for biodiversity and nature protection.

Links

Contact details

Institute for European Environmental Policy London Office 11 Belgrave Road IEEP Offices, Floor 3 London, SW1V 1RB Tel: +44 (0) 20 7799 2244 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7799 2600

The Health and Social Benefits of Nature and Biodiversity Protection

Associated Oppla members