176
mental health and well-being. However, more studies reported non-significant
results. The evidence is not yet of the extent necessary to characterise the role of
biodiversity in relation to mental health or well-being. Future interdisciplinary
research directions are discussed.
Keywords Mental health · Mental well-being · Biodiversity · Species richness ·
Synthesis · Review
Highlights
• Research into the health and well-being effects of biodiversity has grown since
Lovell et al. (2014).
• We update Lovell et al. (2014) and focus on the impact of biodiversity on mental
health and well-being.
• 16 recently published studies on biodiversity and mental health and well-being
were identified.
• Synthesis of results found some evidence that biodiversity promotes better mental health and well-being.
• Overall, more studies reported non-significant effects.
9.1 Introduction
Contact with natural environments facilitates diverse health and well-being benefits
(Bowler et al. 2010; Frumkin 2001; Hartig et al. 2014; Irvine and Warber 2002;
Keniger et al. 2013). However, in this body of research the natural environment is
often “treated as uniform” (Dallimer et al. 2012, p. 48), as studies commonly compare broad urban and natural environment categories (e.g. Hartig et al. 2003;
Korpela et al. 2016) or analyse the amount of, or proximity to, green space
(e.g. Groenewegen et al. 2012; Triguero-Mas et al. 2015). Whilst a substantial
amount of literature investigates the impact of nature or green space on health and
well-being, little is known about the contribution that different qualities of the natural environment, such as biodiversity, have on mental health and well-being.
Systematic reviews of the mental health or well-being benefits from contact with
nature do not include studies that assess the biodiversity of the natural environment
(e.g. Bowler et al. 2010; Dadvand et al. 2015; Thompson Coon et al. 2011). This
same body of literature on the mental health or well-being effects of nature is also
present in systematic reviews of the health benefits of biodiversity (e.g. Horwitz and
Kretsch 2015; Hough 2014; Whitmee et al. 2015), resulting in a closed loop of
examined literature. To date, only one systematic review has explicitly investigated
the health and well-being benefits from contact with biodiversity (Lovell et al.
2014). While the authors found some evidence for a positive benefit from exposure
to biodiversity, overall, the synthesis of 15 quantitative studies showed no clear pattern of results for the effects of biodiversity on human health and well-being.
M. R. Marselle et al.
mental health and well-being. However, more studies reported non-significant
results. The evidence is not yet of the extent necessary to characterise the role of
biodiversity in relation to mental health or well-being. Future interdisciplinary
research directions are discussed.
Keywords Mental health · Mental well-being · Biodiversity · Species richness ·
Synthesis · Review
Highlights
• Research into the health and well-being effects of biodiversity has grown since
Lovell et al. (2014).
• We update Lovell et al. (2014) and focus on the impact of biodiversity on mental
health and well-being.
• 16 recently published studies on biodiversity and mental health and well-being
were identified.
• Synthesis of results found some evidence that biodiversity promotes better mental health and well-being.
• Overall, more studies reported non-significant effects.
9.1 Introduction
Contact with natural environments facilitates diverse health and well-being benefits
(Bowler et al. 2010; Frumkin 2001; Hartig et al. 2014; Irvine and Warber 2002;
Keniger et al. 2013). However, in this body of research the natural environment is
often “treated as uniform” (Dallimer et al. 2012, p. 48), as studies commonly compare broad urban and natural environment categories (e.g. Hartig et al. 2003;
Korpela et al. 2016) or analyse the amount of, or proximity to, green space
(e.g. Groenewegen et al. 2012; Triguero-Mas et al. 2015). Whilst a substantial
amount of literature investigates the impact of nature or green space on health and
well-being, little is known about the contribution that different qualities of the natural environment, such as biodiversity, have on mental health and well-being.
Systematic reviews of the mental health or well-being benefits from contact with
nature do not include studies that assess the biodiversity of the natural environment
(e.g. Bowler et al. 2010; Dadvand et al. 2015; Thompson Coon et al. 2011). This
same body of literature on the mental health or well-being effects of nature is also
present in systematic reviews of the health benefits of biodiversity (e.g. Horwitz and
Kretsch 2015; Hough 2014; Whitmee et al. 2015), resulting in a closed loop of
examined literature. To date, only one systematic review has explicitly investigated
the health and well-being benefits from contact with biodiversity (Lovell et al.
2014). While the authors found some evidence for a positive benefit from exposure
to biodiversity, overall, the synthesis of 15 quantitative studies showed no clear pattern of results for the effects of biodiversity on human health and well-being.
M. R. Marselle et al.