287
the park for 50,000 annual visitors, and the habitat quality of the protected area,
which is important for supporting migratory birds, has been improved (ten Brink
et al. 2016). Similarly, Medvednica Nature Park in Zagreb attracts over a million
visitors annually, while also being home to over 20% of Croatia’s entire vascular
flora, including more than 90 strictly protected species. Additionally, the park plays
a role in improving air quality and mitigating urban air temperatures in neighbouring city suburbs (ten Brink et al. 2016).
12.3 Moving Forward with Green Spaces Planned for Both
People and Biodiversity
Presently, although there are few sites explicitly designed and managed to deliver
conservation and human health gains in tandem, the potential for synergistic benefits could be substantial. The opportunities to adopt such a strategy are considerable,
given the rapid rates of urbanisation globally and that many regions are yet to be
developed (Nilon et al. 2017). Urbanisation will not be geographically homogenous, chiefly taking place in small cities comprising less than 500,000 inhabitants
across the Global South (United Nations 2015). This vast conversion of land to built
infrastructure will undoubtedly pose a threat to biodiversity, not least because most
of it will occur in extremely biodiverse regions such as the Brazilian Atlantic Forest
and Guinean Forests of West Africa (Seto et al. 2012). Formal conservation protection is therefore imperative to prevent extinctions (Cincotta et al. 2000; Brooks et al.
2006; Venter et al. 2014). Justifying the need to protect natural environments in and
around where people live to deliver a multi-faceted suite of objectives is more likely
to be persuasive to decision-makers than a rationale based solely on conservation.
In already established towns and cities, green spaces can be ‘retrofitted’ to provide
complementary conservation and human health gains (for further information, see
Hunter et al. Chap. 17, and Heiland et al. Chap. 19, both this volume). For example,
initiatives such as the Biophilic Cities network (http://biophiliccities.org/) promote
biodiversity as a central tenet of urban planning and management, so that improvements in human health and well-being arise from co-existence (Beatley and van den
Bosch 2018). Metrics related to levels of biodiversity, wildness, tree cover and
green space accessibility are included as indicators against which the performance
of individual cities can be gauged.
Although not studied extensively thus far, there is evidence to suggest that positive human health and well-being outcomes might be related to specific and often
complex natural environments, which could be of conservation value. For instance,
people enjoy forests because of their quiet atmosphere, scenery and fresh air, which
helps with stress management and relaxation (Li and Bell 2018). In Zurich, Sihlwald
Forest is a major recreation area for the city. Formerly a timber concession, the
ecosystem is now left to function with minimal human intervention and, therefore,
12 Biodiversity and Health: Implications for Conservation
the park for 50,000 annual visitors, and the habitat quality of the protected area,
which is important for supporting migratory birds, has been improved (ten Brink
et al. 2016). Similarly, Medvednica Nature Park in Zagreb attracts over a million
visitors annually, while also being home to over 20% of Croatia’s entire vascular
flora, including more than 90 strictly protected species. Additionally, the park plays
a role in improving air quality and mitigating urban air temperatures in neighbouring city suburbs (ten Brink et al. 2016).
12.3 Moving Forward with Green Spaces Planned for Both
People and Biodiversity
Presently, although there are few sites explicitly designed and managed to deliver
conservation and human health gains in tandem, the potential for synergistic benefits could be substantial. The opportunities to adopt such a strategy are considerable,
given the rapid rates of urbanisation globally and that many regions are yet to be
developed (Nilon et al. 2017). Urbanisation will not be geographically homogenous, chiefly taking place in small cities comprising less than 500,000 inhabitants
across the Global South (United Nations 2015). This vast conversion of land to built
infrastructure will undoubtedly pose a threat to biodiversity, not least because most
of it will occur in extremely biodiverse regions such as the Brazilian Atlantic Forest
and Guinean Forests of West Africa (Seto et al. 2012). Formal conservation protection is therefore imperative to prevent extinctions (Cincotta et al. 2000; Brooks et al.
2006; Venter et al. 2014). Justifying the need to protect natural environments in and
around where people live to deliver a multi-faceted suite of objectives is more likely
to be persuasive to decision-makers than a rationale based solely on conservation.
In already established towns and cities, green spaces can be ‘retrofitted’ to provide
complementary conservation and human health gains (for further information, see
Hunter et al. Chap. 17, and Heiland et al. Chap. 19, both this volume). For example,
initiatives such as the Biophilic Cities network (http://biophiliccities.org/) promote
biodiversity as a central tenet of urban planning and management, so that improvements in human health and well-being arise from co-existence (Beatley and van den
Bosch 2018). Metrics related to levels of biodiversity, wildness, tree cover and
green space accessibility are included as indicators against which the performance
of individual cities can be gauged.
Although not studied extensively thus far, there is evidence to suggest that positive human health and well-being outcomes might be related to specific and often
complex natural environments, which could be of conservation value. For instance,
people enjoy forests because of their quiet atmosphere, scenery and fresh air, which
helps with stress management and relaxation (Li and Bell 2018). In Zurich, Sihlwald
Forest is a major recreation area for the city. Formerly a timber concession, the
ecosystem is now left to function with minimal human intervention and, therefore,
12 Biodiversity and Health: Implications for Conservation