Biodiversity, cultural pathways, and human health: a framework

Clark, N. E., Lovell, R., Wheeler, B. W., Higgins, S. L., Depledge, M. H. and Norris, K. (2014) Biodiversity, cultural pathways, and human health: a framework. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 29 (4). pp. 198-204. ISSN 0169-5347 doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2014.01.009

Abstract/Summary

Direct contact with biodiversity is culturally important in a range of contexts. Many people even join conservation organisations to protect biodiversity that they will never encounter first-hand. Despite this, we have little idea how biodiversity affects people's well-being and health through these cultural pathways. Human health is sensitive to apparently trivial psychological stimuli, negatively affected by the risk of environmental degradation, and positively affected by contact with natural spaces. This suggests that well-being and health should be affected by biodiversity change, but few studies have begun to explore these relationships. Here, we develop a framework for linking biodiversity change with human cultural values, well-being, and health. We argue that better understanding these relations might be profoundly important for biodiversity conservation and public health.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/36331
Identification Number/DOI	10.1016/j.tree.2014.01.009
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Agriculture, Policy and Development > Department of Sustainable Land Management > Centre for Agri-environmental Research (CAER)
Publisher	Elsevier
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