IUCN-The World Conservation Union published an article of Nature For Health in one of its Newsletter (IUCN congress 2020). The title of the article is “Nature for health on our urban minds”. The article is written by Rob Wolters, Nature For Health’s Executive.
Day-to-day life is becoming increasingly distant from nature. This is in particular due to continuing urbanisation all over the world. Over 50% of people now live in urban areas, and by 2050, this will rise to about 70%. Urbanisation decreases the possibilities of access to green spaces and is associated with increased levels of illness. Our current social and communication patterns also bring us further away from nature. We have more and more screen time and less green time.
A green environment helps to prevent disorders and speeds up the healing process. Therefore, reconnecting to nature in one way or another is of vital importance for people and societies. This requires changes in paradigms, including in our health care systems. Nature has a positive effect on the healing of stress-related diseases such as depression or burnout, and plays a major role in preventing the development of such illnesses. Nature can also play an important role in the treatment of dementia, cardiovascular disease, or mental illness.
Rob Wolters contributed, in 2021, to another publication of IUCN: “Solutions for Development Challenges”. His contribution focussed on human health and the planet.
