A mountain of health benefits? Impacts of ecological restoration activities on human wellbeing
Just as ecological degradation contributes to many public health problems, restoration of these areas can be health-enabling not only for the environment but also for people. However, despite growing recognition of the positive relationships between ecological restoration and human health, knowledge...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Wellbeing, Space and Society |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666558123000064 |
| _version_ | 1797798627363520512 |
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| author | Pauline Marsh Stuart Auckland Todd Dudley Dave Kendal Emily Flies |
| author_facet | Pauline Marsh Stuart Auckland Todd Dudley Dave Kendal Emily Flies |
| author_sort | Pauline Marsh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Just as ecological degradation contributes to many public health problems, restoration of these areas can be health-enabling not only for the environment but also for people. However, despite growing recognition of the positive relationships between ecological restoration and human health, knowledge gaps persist. Rural areas are most closely affected by ecological degradation from industries such as forestry, farming and mining and rural populations suffer the poorest health outcomes. Nevertheless, the wellbeing benefits of ecological restoration for participants and communities in these areas are under-researched. Rural wellbeing is impacted by factors of geographic isolation, poverty and limited health services which generate rural health inequities. Place-based ecological restoration activities have the potential to address individual and community-level wellbeing issues. In this paper we report on a qualitative study from the Break O'Day municipality in Tasmania, Australia, the site of over 20 years of ecological restoration by local people. The organisation leading the restoration work, the Northeast Bioregional Network, observed that well-organised holistic ecological restoration projects could cultivate ecological ethics and improve human health. Using interview data, we explored the lived impacts of ecological restoration on various aspects of participant health and wellbeing, as well as the observed community-wide benefits. Our analysis identified certain characteristics of place-based ecological restoration participation that are supportive of wellbeing, and the opportunities for improved synergies between ecological restoration and mainstream rural health service provision. We conclude that participation in well-designed, holistic ecological restoration programs can contribute to ameliorating complex health problems affecting rural communities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T04:06:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c27f167634db40ac9edf858b7efed6d3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-5581 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T04:06:41Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Wellbeing, Space and Society |
| spelling | doaj.art-c27f167634db40ac9edf858b7efed6d32023-06-21T07:00:42ZengElsevierWellbeing, Space and Society2666-55812023-01-014100132A mountain of health benefits? Impacts of ecological restoration activities on human wellbeingPauline Marsh0Stuart Auckland1Todd Dudley2Dave Kendal3Emily Flies4Senior Lecturer, Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, UTAS; Corresponding author at: M. Wicking Centre, UTAS, MSP1, Liverpool St, Hobart, Tasmania.Lecturer, Centre for Rural Health, UTASNorth East Bioregional NetworkHealthy Landscapes Group, UTASLecturer, School of Natural Sciences, UTASJust as ecological degradation contributes to many public health problems, restoration of these areas can be health-enabling not only for the environment but also for people. However, despite growing recognition of the positive relationships between ecological restoration and human health, knowledge gaps persist. Rural areas are most closely affected by ecological degradation from industries such as forestry, farming and mining and rural populations suffer the poorest health outcomes. Nevertheless, the wellbeing benefits of ecological restoration for participants and communities in these areas are under-researched. Rural wellbeing is impacted by factors of geographic isolation, poverty and limited health services which generate rural health inequities. Place-based ecological restoration activities have the potential to address individual and community-level wellbeing issues. In this paper we report on a qualitative study from the Break O'Day municipality in Tasmania, Australia, the site of over 20 years of ecological restoration by local people. The organisation leading the restoration work, the Northeast Bioregional Network, observed that well-organised holistic ecological restoration projects could cultivate ecological ethics and improve human health. Using interview data, we explored the lived impacts of ecological restoration on various aspects of participant health and wellbeing, as well as the observed community-wide benefits. Our analysis identified certain characteristics of place-based ecological restoration participation that are supportive of wellbeing, and the opportunities for improved synergies between ecological restoration and mainstream rural health service provision. We conclude that participation in well-designed, holistic ecological restoration programs can contribute to ameliorating complex health problems affecting rural communities.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666558123000064 |
| spellingShingle | Pauline Marsh Stuart Auckland Todd Dudley Dave Kendal Emily Flies A mountain of health benefits? Impacts of ecological restoration activities on human wellbeing Wellbeing, Space and Society |
| title | A mountain of health benefits? Impacts of ecological restoration activities on human wellbeing |
| title_full | A mountain of health benefits? Impacts of ecological restoration activities on human wellbeing |
| title_fullStr | A mountain of health benefits? Impacts of ecological restoration activities on human wellbeing |
| title_full_unstemmed | A mountain of health benefits? Impacts of ecological restoration activities on human wellbeing |
| title_short | A mountain of health benefits? Impacts of ecological restoration activities on human wellbeing |
| title_sort | mountain of health benefits impacts of ecological restoration activities on human wellbeing |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666558123000064 |
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