Responsible Health Care: Acknowledging the relations between Wellbeing and a Healthy Environment

Why is biodiversity essential for a sound quality of life?

Ecosystems are valuable for the goods and services they provide.

Maintaining a healthy environment means preserving essential ecological processes and life-supporting systems also referred as ecosystem services. Preserving species and genetic diversity (biodiversity) is crucial in sustaining environmental qualities essential for productivity.

These functions are however facing various challenges worldwide due to growing human pressures in relation to forestry, agriculture, fisheries, and the exploitation of soil and other natural resources etc.
A monetary valuation may be placed on products from the environment and on ecological processes. It includes the regulation of pest through predators, pollination of commercial crops, regulation of soil fertility, nutrient recycling:

• For instance, wetlands and the species they support act as natural pollution filters, as well as flood and drought buffers.
• In another ways, forests contribute to the carbon cycle (Simbault, 2007).
• All sectors of the economy rely in one way or another on ecosystems. One example is the high value that the service industry might put on natural landscapes, the fauna and flora because of their importance for activities such as tourism.


The Convention on Biological Diversity also supports the argument that the natural world can enrich social welfare in different ways such as through recreational and leisure interests (Kirkby et al, 1995). The EU in particular, presents wildlife as essential to the wellbeing of its citizens (Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, 2006; BirdLife International, 2007a).

In other terms Biodiversity plays an essential role in maintaining viable and stable ecosystems which are essential for the economical well-being of human communities but also their physical and mental health (O’Riordan, 2000).

Physical and Mental Health Benefits of Nature

Accessible green space has the potential to provide a wide range of physical and mental health benefits, increasing our wellbeing, and reducing health care costs.

Green space in an urban environment can improve life expectancy and decrease health complaints . Natural green space provides opportunities for walking and other activities and is a cheap, sustainable means of preventing public health problems.

Obesity caused by physical inactivity is one of the biggest health risks in the EU. Obesity affects over 200 million people in Europe, including 3 million children . In 99% of cases the overwhelming influence on the increase in obesity is environmental .

An estimated 40% of the EU population are physically inactive, including 10-20% of children in some countries . Inactivity leads directly to serious conditions, such as heart disease and type II diabetes. In the UK, inactivity costs over €11,700 million a year . A lack of safe accessible environments in which children can play and adults can walk is a key factor behind these figures.

Nature not only has been shown to help motivate physical activity , but it also affects our psychological welfare . Depression and depression-related illness are predicted to become the greatest source of ill-health by 2020 . A large number of studies illustrate how nature helps recovery from stress and attention fatigue, and that the mental, physical and socio-emotional development of children may benefit from direct contact with nature.


Health walks, UK
“Health walks” started in south Oxfordshire in 1995, aiming to combine the social and environmental factors that are essential to maintaining levels of physical activity. Their success means there are now more than 350 similar “Walking the Way to Health” schemes, led by over 10,000 trained volunteers in the UK .

Walking provides physical activity without needing high fitness levels and carries a low risk of injury. Although the walks are designed to improve health, studies have shown that an opportunity to be in the countryside is the joint main reason why people participate. Sixty-four percent of participants say that “health walks” have changed their transport habits, with 27% saying that they now walk, rather than drive, short distances .

Nature and mental health, Denmark
A Danish study of 1,200 people aged between 18 and 80 found that their most popular activities were those undertaken in green areas near their homes, such as walking or gardening. The study found that nature motivates people to be outside, where they enjoy the landscape and unwind. Over 90% of respondents said that green areas are important for their mood and health, and researchers found that people living closer to green space are less stressed .

Medical value of Biodiversity

Whilst the scientific and economic rationale for conserving biodiversity can be quantified, the less obvious significance of plants and animals cannot be ignored with the importance of genetic diversity.

The discovery of innovative molecules is particularly valued in the pharmaceutical industry while species or varieties may retain remarkable properties for the development of new drugs and vaccines. Ultimately human health then depends on the Health of other species.

As demonstrated in the US, it is estimated that half of prescribed drugs contain, or are derived from, compounds from nature (12). This also highlights the fact that not preserving ecosystems has the potential to directly impact on human health through the loss of species possibly containing valuable new medicines.


References:

BirdLife International. (2007a). ‘Wellbeing through wildlife in the EU’. [online] www.birdlife.org/eu/eco_office.html [Accessed: 21 November 2012]

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2. International Obesity Taskforce (2002) Obesity in Europe, the case for action. London.
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4. http://www.heartstats.org/datapage.asp?id=4695
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8. WHO (2001) World Health Report. World Health Organisation, Geneva.
9. www.whi.org.uk/index.asp
10. Bird W (2004) Natural fit. The RSPB. (See www.rspb.org.uk/policy/health/index.asp)
11. Skov & Lansdab (2005). The use of green areas by the Danes - health perspective.
12. Chivian E. et alt. (2004) Biodiversity: Its importance to human health. The Center for Health and the Global Environment Harvard Medical School.