466
20.6.2 Recommendations to Foster Wider Application
of Nature-Based Solutions for Health Promotion
and Climate Change Adaptation in Policy
The chapters in this volume provide challenges and recommendations for policy.
These recommendations concern two main challenge areas in increasing awareness
and advancing integration across sectors and policies:
20.6.2.1 Increasing Awareness recommendations of the Human Health
and Well-Being Effects of Natural Environments
and Biodiversity
12. Raising awareness of multiple co-benefits: Nature-based solutions for climate
change adaptation provide multiple co-benefits for human health and biodiversity. Yet policy-advisors, politicians and the public may not always be aware of
these interconnections. It is thus important not only to highlight the interlinkages between climate change, human health and biodiversity but also to understand current levels of and gaps in knowledge among practitioners and
policy-makers. There is an additional need to identify the type of information
that would be useful to help these individuals implement actions that are based
on evidence from biodiversity and health research.
13. Enhancing communication and dissemination: In order to raise awareness,
communication of the health benefits of nature and biodiversity needs to be
tailored to the interests of different stakeholders, practitioners and policymakers. Social media with strategic messages, brief video clips on Twitter,
YouTube and other platforms as well as TV and radio are good ways to communicate and disseminate simple messages about the health benefits of biodiversity. Working with environmental charities can help disseminate these
messages to larger audiences.
14. Developing manuals, guidance and tools: Manuals and guidelines for policymakers and practitioners need to be developed based on scientific evidence and
good practice in applied management and policy development. Evidence and
experience-based guidelines describing the key features of biodiversity required
for increased health and well-being should be developed for park managers,
landscape architects, urban planners and designers. Public health professionals
require concrete guidance on how to use natural environments for health promotion as a complement to other already established measures. Demonstrating
successful interventions or case studies where cross-sector working led to costeffective and efficient delivery of ecosystem services that provided multiple
benefits will foster learning and encourage further uptake. Integrated tools of
analysis and metrics from different disciplines, sectors and areas of expertise
could help raise awareness and application. Building on and enhancing established decision-making process tools may be useful starting points, for example
Environmental Impact Assessment and Health Impact Assessment.
M. R. Marselle et al.
20.6.2 Recommendations to Foster Wider Application
of Nature-Based Solutions for Health Promotion
and Climate Change Adaptation in Policy
The chapters in this volume provide challenges and recommendations for policy.
These recommendations concern two main challenge areas in increasing awareness
and advancing integration across sectors and policies:
20.6.2.1 Increasing Awareness recommendations of the Human Health
and Well-Being Effects of Natural Environments
and Biodiversity
12. Raising awareness of multiple co-benefits: Nature-based solutions for climate
change adaptation provide multiple co-benefits for human health and biodiversity. Yet policy-advisors, politicians and the public may not always be aware of
these interconnections. It is thus important not only to highlight the interlinkages between climate change, human health and biodiversity but also to understand current levels of and gaps in knowledge among practitioners and
policy-makers. There is an additional need to identify the type of information
that would be useful to help these individuals implement actions that are based
on evidence from biodiversity and health research.
13. Enhancing communication and dissemination: In order to raise awareness,
communication of the health benefits of nature and biodiversity needs to be
tailored to the interests of different stakeholders, practitioners and policymakers. Social media with strategic messages, brief video clips on Twitter,
YouTube and other platforms as well as TV and radio are good ways to communicate and disseminate simple messages about the health benefits of biodiversity. Working with environmental charities can help disseminate these
messages to larger audiences.
14. Developing manuals, guidance and tools: Manuals and guidelines for policymakers and practitioners need to be developed based on scientific evidence and
good practice in applied management and policy development. Evidence and
experience-based guidelines describing the key features of biodiversity required
for increased health and well-being should be developed for park managers,
landscape architects, urban planners and designers. Public health professionals
require concrete guidance on how to use natural environments for health promotion as a complement to other already established measures. Demonstrating
successful interventions or case studies where cross-sector working led to costeffective and efficient delivery of ecosystem services that provided multiple
benefits will foster learning and encourage further uptake. Integrated tools of
analysis and metrics from different disciplines, sectors and areas of expertise
could help raise awareness and application. Building on and enhancing established decision-making process tools may be useful starting points, for example
Environmental Impact Assessment and Health Impact Assessment.
M. R. Marselle et al.