Connecting Global Priorities Biodiversity and Human Health

Welcome to new migrants: park outings involving physical activity, such as surng, shing and
beach walking, help newly settled Victorians from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds to
independently engage in physical activity outdoors and reduce their risk of being socially isolated.
Youth park ambassadors: secondary school students at risk of developing a mental illness and/or
disengaging in school take part in outdoor adventure activities to build condence, resilience and
connection with nature, then encourage others to get “Active in Parks”.
Adolescent education: young people with type 1 diabetes learn how to manage their chronic illness
and treatment while being physically active in nature and making social connections with others.
Parks walks: regular, volunteer walking groups enjoy parks and open spaces, while strengthening
community connectedness and encouraging regular outdoor enjoyment of nature.
Participants have credited the Program with restoring their condence, improving their motor skills
and, most importantly, giving them a more positive attitude towards physical activity. Post-Program
surveys have unanimously rated the contribution of the Active in Parks Program as benecial to
health and well-being.
Almost 100% of Program participants from uly 2013 to December 2013 reported gaining
friendships from the Program, with 30% of participants now meeting independently on a regular
basis. In 2014, over 66% of respondents reported that the Program increased the time they spent in
a park, and over 86% reported that the Program changed their attitude/behaviour towards physical
activity. Over 93% of respondents planned on continuing to exercise on their own.
Whereas some studies show that the use of and
exposure to the natural environment is associated
with better health (Keniger et al. 2013; Lee et al.
2011; Thompson-Coon et al. 2011), others more
explicitly link “condition” of the environment
to particular health outcomes (Cummins et al.
2005; Mitchell and Popham 2008; van Dillen
et al. 2012). Environmental decline, including
loss of biodiversity, has also been shown to
have greater adverse health effects, particularly
on mental health, than the impacts associated
with economic decline, nutritional threats and
pollution (Speldewinde et al. 2009).
This evidence suggests that among populations
for whom access to natural green spaces is
limited, such as those in poorer inner-urban
areas of large cities, improving that access can
encourage regular physical activity, improve life
expectancy and decrease health complaints. The
psychological benefits and social outcomes may
also increase motivation to further exercise and
use the green space. Much of this is thought
to be due to the perceptions of favourable
environmental conditions for people to exercise,
thus improving motivation to continue physical
activity. Despite the evidence that urban “green”
space can increase physical activity and contribute
to other dimensions of health, little explicit
consideration has been given to the importance
of the biodiversity itself (versus simply green or
natural space) in delivering improved physical
function or health.
We have scant evidence from studies in which
standard ecological survey methodology has been
undertaken alongside an assessment of physical
health. These few studies measure physical
health as subjective well-being rather than
measuring specific physiological attributes that
reflect physical fitness or well-being. An urban
Australian study found that personal well-being
and neighbourhood satisfaction were positively
related to greater species richness and abundance
of birds, and with increased vegetative cover and
density (Luck et al. 2011). In urban UK, Dallimer et
208 Connecting Global Priorities: Biodiversity and Human Health