How does urban biodiversity benefit health?
This article is also available here in Spanish.

How does urban biodiversity benefit health?

My list

Author | M. Martínez Euklidiadas

Urban biodiversity is critically important for health. It reduces stress, prevents the onset of serious diseases, it alleviates pain, protects against plagues, stabilizes the climate, improves the capacity to concentrate and cognitive development and eases noise, among many other elements urgently required within cities.

What is urban biodiversity?

Urban biodiversity refers to the varied species that live in a city, focusing on their variety (diversity) and relationships (ecology). As with any other health indicator, urban biodiversity increases the more complex these relationships are and the more local species that are present; and it reduces with invasive species, the deterioration of the trophic network or due to a lack of species.

Why is urban biodiversity important?

Just as the equilibrium of our planet depends on a healthy biosphere, the resilience of cities requires ecologically resilient urban biodiversity (SDG-11). Plants, a key component of biodiversity, capture CO₂ and help the environment to filter water, eliminate pollutants or reduce stress. In a more subtle way, wildlife and other living creatures do this. These ecosystem services are essential.

"People depend on biodiversity in their daily lives, in ways that are not always apparent or appreciated" — OMS, on biological diversity

How does urban biodiversity benefit human health?

biodiversity 02

To date, improving urban biodiversity has only had positive impacts:

Resilience in the human biome

Perhaps an important point that is often forgotten and which justifies why urban biodiversity should be increased, is the increased resilience provided by environmental microbiomes. Microbiota is an essential part of biodiversity.

Temperature stabilization

A significant increase in biodiversity is related to milder winters and summers. Plants help stabilize the temperature, which in turn is related to lower stress levels. There are an increasing number of proposals with a positive impact on health to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change in cities, boosting biodiversity.

Elimination of traffic noise

Plants also reduce traffic noise levels —related to numerous serious diseases, heart conditions, endocrine disorders or mental disorders among others—, which is another way in which plants can help.

In addition, providing background nature sounds (leaves in the wind, birds trilling) is also related to improved health results, such as reduced physical and mental pain.

Improved cognitive development

There is a strong relationship between improved cognitive development and species-rich green spaces. A walk through green spaces on the way to school improves a child’s ability to learn and adults are capable of greater concentration.

biodiversity 03

And among other health-related benefits: increased biodiversity reduces the presence of plagues, minimizes the impact of catastrophic atmospheric phenomena and moderates heatwaves and icy spells.

How can urban areas increase biodiversity?

Eliminating road traffic pollution and combustion engines can help local wildlife finda less hostile environment. The same applies to the generation of traffic noise, which scares off many local species.

Green areas also need to be increased in ecosystems in which wildlife depends on them (for example, warm-climate birds) by creating continuous urban corridors, helped, perhaps, by an urban river or a forest that is not interrupted by motorized streets.

The naturalization of rivers and the presence of local vegetation also play a key role, together with increasing the number of fountains and birdbaths to attract birds. Increasing urban biodiversity is a goal that should be taken into account by any city that is concerned for the health of its citizens.

Images | Adrien Olichon, Annie Spratt, Saxon White

Related content

Recommended profiles for you

VL
Vo Le
University
LR
Laura Ribotta
City of torino
Public servant
KC
Kervis Chan
HKSAR
VB
Vinay Bhagat
Innovative UX Solutions
JJ
Jacqueline Jones
Panama University
ED
Edel Bertine Dirdal
Stavanger Region European Office
European Coordinator
CD
Cinthya Diaz
FUAA
GC
Gajendran Chellaiah
Karunya
Associate Professor
SM
Sinelle Marion
Bleu marine
Commercial in import export
PO
Pedro Oliveri
Eit
LL
Lyda Maritza Gamboa Leguizamon Lyda
Arquitecta
Principal
ED
Eduardo De Luca
Wismee srl
General manager
RP
Radyan Putra Pradana
Indonesia Agency for Meteorology Climatology and Geophysics
Researcher
MK
MAGDY KHATTAB
INFINITY MANAGEMENT FOR PROJECTS
AM
Amenan Sandra MARAHOUA
Université Bordeaux Montaigne
Etudiant
BV
Bas van der Peet
tetraeder.solar
ÖG
Özgür Güven
Guven LLC
MJ
Mohamed Zaquie Jafarullah
Msheireb Properties
PB
Paul Balban
HM Government of Gibraltar
AS
agostina spataro
escuela