Health and Caring for Living Things

Katcher, Aaron Honori; Beck, Alan

doi:10.2752/089279388787058461

Cited by 72 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Whilst the world's population is growing increasingly isolated from biodiversity as a result of urbanisation, evidence is rapidly accruing as to the advantages that people gain from experiencing and interacting with nature (Katcher and Beck, 1987;Kaplan and Kaplan, 1989;Irvine and Warber, 2002;Maller et al, 2005). The personal and societal benefits to human health and well-being are wide ranging, but include quicker recovery rates from ill-health (Ulrich, 1984), self-reported general health ( Stilgoe, 2001;de Vries et al, 2003;Maas et al, 2006), longevity (Takano et al, 2002), stress-relief ( Moore, 1981;Leather et al, 1998;Parsons et al, 1998;Stigsdotter and Grahn, 2004), reduced mental fatigue (Hartig et al, 1991;Kuo, 2001), opportunities for reflection (Herzog et al, 1997;Fuller et al, 2007), degree of social interaction (Sullivan et al, 2004) and reduced crime rates (Kuo and Sullivan, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A national scale inventory of resource provision for biodiversity within domestic gardens

Davies

Fuller

Loram

et al. 2009

Biological Conservation

370

248

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Backyard Biodiversity ConservationGreen space Urban planning ABSTRACTThe human population is increasingly disconnected from nature due to urbanisation. To counteract this phenomenon, the UK government has been actively promoting wildlife gardening. However, the extent to which such activities are conducted and the level of resource provision for biodiversity (e.g., food and nesting sites) within domestic gardens remains poorly documented. Here we generate estimates for a selection of key resources provided within gardens at a national scale, using 12 survey datasets gathered across the UK. We estimate that 22.7 million households (87% of homes) have access to a garden. Average garden size is 190 m 2 , extrapolating to a total area of 432,924 ha. Although substantial, this coverage is still an order of magnitude less than that of statutory protected areas.Approximately 12.6 million (48%) households provide supplementary food for birds, 7.4 million of which specifically use bird feeders. Similarly, there are a minimum of 4.7 million nest boxes within gardens. These figures equate to one bird feeder for every nine potentially feeder-using birds in the UK, and at least one nest box for every six breeding pairs of cavity nesting birds. Gardens also contain 2.5-3.5 million ponds and 28.7 million trees, which is just under a quarter of all trees occurring outside woodlands. Ongoing urbanisation, characterised by increased housing densities, is inevitable throughout the UK and elsewhere. The important contribution domestic gardens make to the green space infrastructure in residential areas must be acknowledged, as their reduction will impact biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services, and the well-being of the human population.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A national scale inventory of resource provision for biodiversity within domestic gardens

Davies

Fuller

Loram

et al. 2009

Biological Conservation

370

248

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“…In the last few hundred years, there has been an extraordinary disengagement of humans from the natural environment (Axelrod and Suedfeld, 1995;Beck and Katcher, 1996;Katcher and Beck, 1987). This is mostly due to the enormous shift of people away from rural areas into cities (Katcher and Beck, 1987).…”

Section: Natural Connections With Public Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In evolutionary terms, 'the urban environment is a spontaneous, changeable and historically unfamiliar habitat' [McMichael, 2001 (p. 252)]. Never in history have humans spent so little time in physical contact with animals and plants, and the consequences are unknown (Katcher and Beck, 1987). Already, some research has shown that too much artificial stimulation and an existence spent in purely human environments may cause exhaustion and produce a loss of vitality and health (Katcher and Beck, 1987;Stilgoe, 2001).…”

Section: Natural Connections With Public Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Healthy nature healthy people: ‘contact with nature’ as an upstream health promotion intervention for populations

Maller

Townsend

Pryor

et al. 2005

Health Promotion International

950

552

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SUMMARYWhilst urban-dwelling individuals who seek out parks and gardens appear to intuitively understand the personal health and well-being benefits arising from 'contact with nature', public health strategies are yet to maximize the untapped resource nature provides, including the benefits of nature contact as an upstream health promotion intervention for populations. This paper presents a summary of empirical, theoretical and anecdotal evidence drawn from a literature review of the human health benefits of contact with nature. Initial findings indicate that nature plays a vital role in human health and well-being, and that parks and nature reserves play a significant role by providing access to nature for individuals. Implications suggest contact with nature may provide an effective population-wide strategy in prevention of mental ill health, with potential application for sub-populations, communities and individuals at higher risk of ill health. Recommendations include further investigation of 'contact with nature' in population health, and examination of the benefits of nature-based interventions. To maximize use of 'contact with nature' in the health promotion of populations, collaborative strategies between researchers and primary health, social services, urban planning and environmental management sectors are required. This approach offers not only an augmentation of existing health promotion and prevention activities, but provides the basis for a socio-ecological approach to public health that incorporates environmental sustainability.

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“…Therefore, the roles of green infrastructure network to human well-being are essential, yet often forgotten. Studies in environmental psychology have revealed that the physical, psychological and social benefits of human beings' contact with nature are vanishing in towns and cities because of the disengagement of residents from the natural environment (Katcher and Beck, 1987;Axelrod and Suedfeld, 1995).…”

Section: Green Infrastructure and Well-beingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experiential Contacts with Green Infrastructure's Diversity and Well-Being of Urban Community

Mansor

Said

Mohamad

2017

ajE-Bs

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The study explores the significance of residents' experience with an array of green infrastructure in Taiping, a small town in central Peninsular Malaysia. It argues that the existence of a composite of greenery and open spaces in a town that has diversity contributes to sense of well-being of residents. Green infrastructure network is a composite of various types of greenery and open spaces linked by streets, waterways and drainages encircling and connecting urban areas, at all spatial scales. In Taiping, the green infrastructure network consists of a town park, street planting, open spaces of public buildings, pocket spaces between shophouses, school playfields, neighbourhood open space, home gardens, and river corridors. Questionnaires (n=335) and semi-structured interviews (n=33) explored the diversity of the green infrastructure in the town and the causal relationship to well-being-physical, cognitive and social. The data suggested that green infrastructure afford residents diversity of experience. Diverse experiences of green infrastructure network, physically and visually attract residents to participate in active activities, to socialize and to perform other transactional activities outside their homes. Therefore, the effects from the participation trigger many positive moods such as serenity, relaxation, comfort and satisfaction. Moreover, in physical and social terms, experiencing urban green spaces such as parks and gardens afford town residents active living, and community participation and harmony. There were modest relationships between the dimensions of diversity with the well-being dimensions, suggesting that residents felt diversity affect their sense of well-being. Hence, the results implicate that urban green spaces are essential amenity for towns and cities that afford an individual and a community physical, cognitive and social well-being.

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Health and Caring for Living Things

Cited by 72 publications

References 2 publications

A national scale inventory of resource provision for biodiversity within domestic gardens

A national scale inventory of resource provision for biodiversity within domestic gardens

Healthy nature healthy people: ‘contact with nature’ as an upstream health promotion intervention for populations

Experiential Contacts with Green Infrastructure's Diversity and Well-Being of Urban Community

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