Biodiversity and Health

Katherine Irvine Social, Economic & Geographical Sciences Research Group

Scottish Biodiversity Conference

9 November 2016

…in every walk with nature one

receives far more than he seeks

John Muir (1877)

My background: - Molecular biology - Natural resource management - Conservation behaviour / Environmental psychology - Practical experience in environmental education

Methods: Qualitative & Quantitative Various research designs

Research Interests: - Wellbeing benefits of nature-interaction - Evaluation of ‘nature-based programmes’ - Cultural ecosystem services - Sustainable behaviour

• Nature and health – Quick overview

Theory

Research

Policy & Practice

Current directions

• What qualities of nature

Urban nature studies

Nature-based health promotion study

• Looking ahead

A route map for talk

Frameworks: People-Environment-Health

Attention Restoration Theory (ART) – natural settings are cognitively restorative (eg Kaplan & Kaplan 1989)

Psycho-physiological Model – interaction with nature may counteract negative physiological effects of stress (eg Ulrich et al 1991; Manfredo et al 1996)

Sense of Place (SOP) – the experience of place is psychologically important (eg Manzo 2003; Patterson & Williams 2005)

Therapeutic Landscapes – how places enhance health (eg Gesler 1992; Williams 1998)

Biopsychosocial-spiritual Health Model – holistic perspective on individual health (McKee & Chappel, 1992)

Reviews – key messages: e.g.

- Kaplan & Kaplan 1989 psychological benefits of nature

- Nearby nature

- Irvine & Warber 2002 biopsychosocial-spiritual domains

- Health promotion - Bowler et al 2010 ‘added value’ of nature-based activities

- Need for evidence of effectiveness

- Keniger et al 2013 typology of nature-interaction

- Geographic bias to evidence

- Haluza D, et al. 2014 nature’s effects on physiologic outcomes

- call for interdisciplinary research

- Hartig et al 2014 mechanisms for relationship

- Multiple & synergistic

Nature & Health - Research

Policy & Practice

Increasing uptake of idea, e.g. Scotland

- Land Use Strategy More people enjoying nature

- National Indicator Increase use of outdoors

- Scottish Natural Heritage Our Natural Health Service Action Plan

- Hospital healing gardens

- Green gyms

Nature

Nature & Health Research Current Directions

Health e.g. assessment how large an effect

how long lasting

e.g. type quality

How

For Whom?

When?

What type of contact?

For how long?

What frequency?

Type: e.g. green, blue, urban, rural

parks, gardens, wilderness

Quality: e.g.

- Attractiveness (e.g. litter free)

- Functionality (e.g. accessibility, availability

of amenities).

- Species diversity

- Naturalness

- Restorativeness

What nature?

Type: e.g. green, blue, urban, rural

parks, gardens, wilderness

Quality: e.g.

- Attractiveness (e.g. litter free)

- Functionality (e.g. accessibility, availability

of amenities).

- Species diversity

- Naturalness

- Restorativeness

What nature?

Research studies up next…

2 Urban nature studies Study System: Sheffield, UK

– Do people notice biodiversity?

– What contribution does biodiversity make to sense of place and reflection?

Fuller, Irvine et al. Biology Letters 2007 Dallimer, Irvine et al. BioScience 2012

– 15 urban parks

– Publicly accessible

– Size from 1-23 hectares (2-56 acres)

Park study

Sample Over 300 greenscape users

Fuller, Irvine et al. 2007

– 34 riverscapes

– Publicly accessible

– Represent variety of sites available

River study

Sheffield, UK

Sample

Over 1100 bluescape users • Purpose:

• Different type of urban nature

• Similar questions to Park study

• Notice biodiversity?

• Contribution to wellbeing?

Dallimer, Irvine et al. 2012

Approach

• Interdisciplinary team

• In situ cross sectional study design

• Mixed Methods: – Questionnaire – open & closed questions

• perceptions of ecological quality • self-reported aspects of health and

wellbeing – Sense of place – Reflection

– Ecological Surveys • Dimensions of actual ecological quality, e.g.

– Plant species richness – Bird species richness – Butterfly species richness

• Factor analysis to derive metrics of well-being

– Reflection (alpha=.84)

– Distinct Identity (alpha=.80)

– Continuity with past (alpha=.84)

– Attachment (alpha=.86)

Assessing self-reported well-being

Example from Fuller, Irvine et al 2007

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

1.8 2 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.8 3

log10 Plant species richness

Per

ceiv

ed p

lan

t ri

chn

ess

R2=.71

Is species richness noticed in the landscape?

Park Study

Fuller, Irvine et al. 2007

Mismatch between perceived and actual

plant richness

• People do not accurately perceive levels of richness

(contrary to expectations)

River Study

Dallimer, Irvine et al. 2012

Fuller, Irvine et al. 2007

3

3.5

4

4.5

1.8 2 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.8 3

log10 Plant species richness

Refl

ecti

on

R2=0.328

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

1.8 2 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.8 3

log10 Plant species richness

Dis

tin

ct

Iden

tity

R2=0.27

What role does

actual species

richness play for

wellbeing?

Park Study

Reflection & Actual Species Richness

Birds Butterflies

Plants

Dallimer, Irvine et al. 2012

River Study

Reflection & Perceived Species Richness

Dallimer, Irvine et al. 2012

Birds Butterflies

Plants

• Quality – biodiversity

Summary of these 2 studies

People may or may not perceive actual species richness

Species richness & 2 aspects of wellbeing

Objective metrics: inconsistent findings - Subjective metrics: consistent positive correlation

Species richness = bird, butterfly, plant

Wellbeing = reflection; sense of identity

Fuller, Irvine et al. 2007 Dallimer, Irvine et al. 2012

Review of biodiversity and health

• Systematic Review of the Health and Well-Being Benefits of Biodiverse Environments

– 17 studies

– Inconclusive evidence:

• Health promotion may occur through encouraging health-promoting behaviour or pleasant environments

• Inverse relationship present

– Need for identifying what aspects and processes through which biodiversity may generate good health and well-being

In other words: What nature? What is the mechanism?

Lovell, Wheeler, Higgins, Irvine, & Depledge, 2014

Mechanism study

How does biodiversity or ‘naturalness’ of the environment influence wellbeing?

How does the external environment come to influence our internal wellbeing?

Perceived restorativeness as a mechanism?

group walks in nature to promote health

Marselle, Irvine, Lorenzo-Arribas, Warber, 2016

ATTENTION RESTORATION THEORY

Nature Rest & recovery of ability to concentrate

Facilitating restorative qualities:

– Being away (BA) – escape from day-to-day routine

– Fascination (FA) – aspects of environment capture attention effortlessly

– Coherence (COH) – immersed in the environment

– Compatibility (COM) – environment fits what the person wants to achieve

Kaplan & Kaplan 1989; Kaplan 1995

Approach

Marselle, Irvine et al. 2016

- Questionnaire - emotional wellbeing - perceived biodiversity - perceived restorativeness - Completed before & after each outdoor group walk - 13 weeks of walks

Hypothesised mechanism

From Marselle, Irvine et al. 2016

Perceived Envt quality Experience Wellbeing

Naturalness & bird biodiversity Being away

Naturalness & bird biodiversity Fascination

Naturalness & bird biodiversity Compatibility

Findings

Your experience of the environment’s biodiversity or naturalness as restorative important for emotional wellbeing

Feeling that you’re getting away from it all

Fascinated by the biodiversity

What you want to do and the environment are ‘compatible’

Marselle, Irvine et al. 2016

• Public health and medicine want evidence on effectiveness and mechanisms

• Opportunities to integrate research & practice…

For Example: ‘Natural Experiment’ design - incorporating research & evaluation into existing or upcoming initiatives. Longitudinal studies?

• Embrace with patience • Person & Environment = Health

Relationship is complex, i.e. one’s experience of the environment that contributes to positive wellbeing

• What synergistic transformative opportunities might we create for pairing conservation, wellbeing and sustainability?

Concluding Thoughts

Selected References

Dallimer M, Irvine KN et al 2012. Biodiversity and the feel-good factor: understanding associations

between self-reported human well-being and species richness. BioScience. 1;62(1):47-55.

Fuller, Irvine et al. 2007 Biology Letters, 3, 390

Hartig T, Mitchell R, De Vries S, Frumkin H. Nature and health. Annual Review of Public Health. 2014

Mar 18;35:207-28.

Irvine, K.N., & Warber, S.L. 2002. Greening healthcare: Practicing as if the natural environment

really mattered. Alternative therapies in health and medicine, 8(5), 76.

Irvine, K.N., Warber, S.L., Devine-Wright, P. & Gaston, K.J. 2013. Understanding urban greenspace

as a health resource: A qualitative comparison of visit motivation and derived effects among park

users in Sheffield. International J Environmental Research & Public Health 10, 417-442.

Keniger, L.E., Gaston, K.J., Irvine, K.N. & Fuller, R.A. 2013. What are the benefits of interacting with

nature? International J Environmental Research & Public Health 10, 913-935.

Lovell, R., Wheeler, B.W., Higgins, S.L., Irvine, K.N., & Depledge, M.H. 2014. A systematic review of

the health and well-being benefits of biodiverse environments. J Toxicology & Environmental

Health, Part B, 17(1), 1-20.

Marselle, M.R., Irvine, K.N., & Warber, S.L. 2014. Examining group walks in nature and multiple

aspects of well-being: A large-scale study. Ecopsychology, 6(3), 134-147.

Marselle, M.R., Irvine, K.N., Lorenzo-Arribas, A., & Warber, S.L. 2016. Does perceived

restorativeness mediate the associations between perceived naturalness, biodiversity, and walk

characteristics on emotional well-being following an outdoor group walk? Journal of

Environmental Psychology. 46, 217-232.

The James Hutton Institute is supported by the Scottish Government’s Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division (RESAS)

Funded by

Katherine.irvine@hutton.ac.uk

Thank you for your attention

Collaborators for studies presented - Melissa Marselle, University of Salford - Sara Warber, University of Michigan - Richard Fuller, University of Queensland - Martin Dallimer, Lees University - Kevin Gaston, University of Exeter