How human health and well-being depends on healthy marine habitats in the Mediterranean: A review
Human health and well-being, and how they are affected by terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems have been the subject of numerous studies. In contrast, there are very few such studies relating to marine ecosystems. Here, in the context of the Mediterranean Sea, we assess evidence of the broad interp...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Heliyon |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024003608 |
| _version_ | 1797328699285045248 |
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| author | Josep Lloret Alfredo García-de-Vinuesa Montserrat Demestre |
| author_facet | Josep Lloret Alfredo García-de-Vinuesa Montserrat Demestre |
| author_sort | Josep Lloret |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Human health and well-being, and how they are affected by terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems have been the subject of numerous studies. In contrast, there are very few such studies relating to marine ecosystems. Here, in the context of the Mediterranean Sea, we assess evidence of the broad interplay of relationships between marine habitats and human health and well-being. Our review shows that the major Mediterranean marine habitats provide various provisioning, cultural and regulating services that improve physical and mental health in a number of different ways. These include: (i) the provision of seafood rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help to reduce the risk of developing certain types of illnesses; and also, species that produce bioactive compounds that are potential sources of new drugs; (ii) the provision of blue spaces – areas of water suitable for leisure and recreational activities able to inspire, educate, and appeal to the aesthetic senses – that not only increase physical and psychological health, but also foster an individual and collective sense of place and identity and contribute to improving social relations; and (iii) the regulation of climate change, and of water quality and pollution, for example via sequestration of carbon and heavy metals, thus reducing the associated health risks. Our results show that Mediterranean marine habitats are valuable for health and well-being, thus highlighting the need to conserve as much of these habitats as possible (particularly through marine protected areas) and to carry out new studies to determine the specific causal pathways by which certain characteristics of marine habitats – including biotic (e.g. marine biodiversity) and abiotic (e.g. water quality) factors – affect human health and well-being. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T06:55:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ed181feec623463ca02536ea12e6d101 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2405-8440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T06:55:26Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heliyon |
| spelling | doaj.art-ed181feec623463ca02536ea12e6d1012024-02-03T06:36:58ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402024-01-01102e24329How human health and well-being depends on healthy marine habitats in the Mediterranean: A reviewJosep Lloret0Alfredo García-de-Vinuesa1Montserrat Demestre2Institut de Ciències del Mar, CSIC, Pg. Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003, Barcelona, Spain; Corresponding author.Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Cádiz, Puerto Pesquero, Muelle de Levante s/n, 11006, Cádiz, SpainInstitut de Ciències del Mar, CSIC, Pg. Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003, Barcelona, SpainHuman health and well-being, and how they are affected by terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems have been the subject of numerous studies. In contrast, there are very few such studies relating to marine ecosystems. Here, in the context of the Mediterranean Sea, we assess evidence of the broad interplay of relationships between marine habitats and human health and well-being. Our review shows that the major Mediterranean marine habitats provide various provisioning, cultural and regulating services that improve physical and mental health in a number of different ways. These include: (i) the provision of seafood rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help to reduce the risk of developing certain types of illnesses; and also, species that produce bioactive compounds that are potential sources of new drugs; (ii) the provision of blue spaces – areas of water suitable for leisure and recreational activities able to inspire, educate, and appeal to the aesthetic senses – that not only increase physical and psychological health, but also foster an individual and collective sense of place and identity and contribute to improving social relations; and (iii) the regulation of climate change, and of water quality and pollution, for example via sequestration of carbon and heavy metals, thus reducing the associated health risks. Our results show that Mediterranean marine habitats are valuable for health and well-being, thus highlighting the need to conserve as much of these habitats as possible (particularly through marine protected areas) and to carry out new studies to determine the specific causal pathways by which certain characteristics of marine habitats – including biotic (e.g. marine biodiversity) and abiotic (e.g. water quality) factors – affect human health and well-being.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024003608Marine habitatsHuman healthWell-beingEcosystem servicesMediterranean |
| spellingShingle | Josep Lloret Alfredo García-de-Vinuesa Montserrat Demestre How human health and well-being depends on healthy marine habitats in the Mediterranean: A review Heliyon Marine habitats Human health Well-being Ecosystem services Mediterranean |
| title | How human health and well-being depends on healthy marine habitats in the Mediterranean: A review |
| title_full | How human health and well-being depends on healthy marine habitats in the Mediterranean: A review |
| title_fullStr | How human health and well-being depends on healthy marine habitats in the Mediterranean: A review |
| title_full_unstemmed | How human health and well-being depends on healthy marine habitats in the Mediterranean: A review |
| title_short | How human health and well-being depends on healthy marine habitats in the Mediterranean: A review |
| title_sort | how human health and well being depends on healthy marine habitats in the mediterranean a review |
| topic | Marine habitats Human health Well-being Ecosystem services Mediterranean |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024003608 |
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