The “SCNAT knowledge” web portal provides guidance. The Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) and its network report the state of knowledge, based on sound scientific findings and in regards to Switzerland – for the attention of politics, administration, business, science and practice.more

Image: Tobias Günther, SNSF Scientific Image Competitionmore

Biodiversity, a guarantee of health?

Biodiversity makes an important contribution to a healthy life. This is confirmed by an analysis of scientific studies published by the Academy of Natural Sciences (SCNAT) as a fact sheet. Conclusion: the considerable preventive and therapeutic potential of biodiversity is still largely untapped.

Biodiversity, a guarantee of health?

A natural or nearly natural environment has a positive effect on human health in many ways. This means that a natural environment can also help meet public health challenges. These include obesity, certain chronic, infectious and non-communicable diseases, depression and anxiety, and also child development and cognitive aging. In order to give everyone contact with and access to high-quality nature, it is advisable to strengthen the development and conservation of green spaces and natural landscapes with rich biological diversity. This requires close cooperation at local and national level between public health, urban development, spatial planning and nature conservation. At the same time, inter- and transdisciplinary research is needed to increase knowledge about the links between health and biodiversity.

Categories

  • Biodiversity
  • Prevention
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