Image: Bench at Isblandskärret by Tommie Hansen on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
CEP contributing author to report published by the European Commission on the Health & Social Benefits of Nature
The European Commission has published a report on the findings of a year long study to identify the Health and Social Benefits of Nature and Biodiversity.The report also incorporates the outcomes of a stakeholder workshop to discuss the research findings. As a lead expert in a consortium led by the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), CEP led the development of report chapters on the social benefits of nature, as well as developing case studies of initiatives making use of nature for health and social benefits in the UK and Latvia, as well as delivering a workshop session dedicated to understanding the social benefits of nature. Other partners include Milieu, LUKE, ICLEI, WWF Germany and Rudolf de Groot.
The research team, identified and developed more than 100 case examples from across the EU, with in-depth analysis of 20 cases (see Annex 1). Examples included projects and initiatives aimed at reducing exposure to pollutants, mitigating noise and heat stress, improving everyday well-being, providing therapeutic spaces for rehabilitation and treatment, promoting recreation and sustainable mobility, and facilitating volunteering and local engagement. The report develops a road map for how European cities, regions and countries can realise these benefits and how the EU can support this process.
The Health and Social Benefits of Nature project reports (executive summary, main report, annexes) are available on the European Commission's website here.