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7.1 Introduction
Biodiversity affects human health and well-being in a variety of ways (Lindley et al.
Chap. 2; Cook et al. Chap. 11, both in this volume). It supports the ecosystem services that help to preserve people’s health through regulating clean air and water,
and providing food, medicine, shelter, clothing and heat (Mace et al. 2012; World
Health Organization and Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity
2015). Biodiversity also helps to mitigate the negative effects of climate change on
human health (see Lindley et al. Chap. 2, this volume). Yet, biodiversity (with climate change) can also harm human health by discharging pollen and increasing
contact with organisms carrying diseases (Vaz et al. 2017; see also Damialis et al.
Chap. 3 and Müller et al. Chap. 4 in this volume). In addition to these impacts of
biodiversity on physical health, biodiverse environments also affect mental health
(see de Vries & Snep, Chap. 8, Marsell et al. Chap 9 both in this volume) and spiritual well-being (see Irvine et al. Chap 10 this volume). Researchers working in this
emerging interdisciplinary field use existing frameworks, often from the field of
environmental psychology, to explain these associations. The aim of this chapter is
to provide an overview of these frameworks to enable theoretical grounding of
future biodiversity and mental health and well-being studies. This chapter briefly
describes six of the most widely used frameworks that offer perspective on the relationships between biodiverse natural environments and mental health and wellbeing, and related empirical research. These frameworks include the Preference
Matrix; fractal geometry; the Biophilia Hypothesis; Stress Reduction Theory;
Attention Restoration Theory; and the Ecosystem Service Cascade Model. The final
section summarises these six frameworks and discusses a way forward.
7.2 Environmental Preference
Liking or preferring one thing over another influences behaviours. For example,
preference for one environment over another may influence where to have a picnic,
which house to buy or whether one supports nature conservation. Environmental
preference frameworks examine relationships between physical characteristics of a
landscape (e.g. urban vs. natural, water, land use type, open spatial arrangement,
spatial definition, tree size, tree density) and psychological judgements of preference or aesthetic value (Kaplan and Kaplan 1989; Hartig and Evans 1993). Whilst
these frameworks do not consider links to health and well-being, they are nevertheless included here, as preference for a specific environment may indicate the potential that environment could have on well-being (Hartig and Evans 1993; Hartig et al.
2011).
M. R. Marselle
7.1 Introduction
Biodiversity affects human health and well-being in a variety of ways (Lindley et al.
Chap. 2; Cook et al. Chap. 11, both in this volume). It supports the ecosystem services that help to preserve people’s health through regulating clean air and water,
and providing food, medicine, shelter, clothing and heat (Mace et al. 2012; World
Health Organization and Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity
2015). Biodiversity also helps to mitigate the negative effects of climate change on
human health (see Lindley et al. Chap. 2, this volume). Yet, biodiversity (with climate change) can also harm human health by discharging pollen and increasing
contact with organisms carrying diseases (Vaz et al. 2017; see also Damialis et al.
Chap. 3 and Müller et al. Chap. 4 in this volume). In addition to these impacts of
biodiversity on physical health, biodiverse environments also affect mental health
(see de Vries & Snep, Chap. 8, Marsell et al. Chap 9 both in this volume) and spiritual well-being (see Irvine et al. Chap 10 this volume). Researchers working in this
emerging interdisciplinary field use existing frameworks, often from the field of
environmental psychology, to explain these associations. The aim of this chapter is
to provide an overview of these frameworks to enable theoretical grounding of
future biodiversity and mental health and well-being studies. This chapter briefly
describes six of the most widely used frameworks that offer perspective on the relationships between biodiverse natural environments and mental health and wellbeing, and related empirical research. These frameworks include the Preference
Matrix; fractal geometry; the Biophilia Hypothesis; Stress Reduction Theory;
Attention Restoration Theory; and the Ecosystem Service Cascade Model. The final
section summarises these six frameworks and discusses a way forward.
7.2 Environmental Preference
Liking or preferring one thing over another influences behaviours. For example,
preference for one environment over another may influence where to have a picnic,
which house to buy or whether one supports nature conservation. Environmental
preference frameworks examine relationships between physical characteristics of a
landscape (e.g. urban vs. natural, water, land use type, open spatial arrangement,
spatial definition, tree size, tree density) and psychological judgements of preference or aesthetic value (Kaplan and Kaplan 1989; Hartig and Evans 1993). Whilst
these frameworks do not consider links to health and well-being, they are nevertheless included here, as preference for a specific environment may indicate the potential that environment could have on well-being (Hartig and Evans 1993; Hartig et al.
2011).
M. R. Marselle