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Linking Ecosystem Services and Human Health: The Eco-Health Relationship Browser#
Citation:
Daniel, J. AND L. Jackson. Linking Ecosystem Services and Human Health: The Eco-Health Relationship Browser#. ACES - A Community on Ecosystem Services, Washington, DC, December 08 - 12, 2014.
Impact/Purpose:
To overview the state of the science on the role of ecosystem services in public health.
Description:
Ecosystems and the services they provide have been linked in the literature to multiple human health outcomes. Demonstrated and proposed mechanisms focus on hazard buffering and health-promotional aspects of ecosystems. Services such as air and water filtration, heat mitigation, and water regulation act as buffers against environmental pollutants and natural hazards. Opportunities for physical activity and engagement with nature can promote healthy behaviors; these services have been linked to a broad range of improved health outcomes including reductions in stress and blood pressure and improvements in cognitive function. The Eco-Health Relationship Browser is an interactive, educational tool created by the US EPA to illustrate the many published linkages between human health and ecosystem services, and explore mechanisms where possible.Filtration and many other regulating services have been quantified under a range of field conditions. Epidemiological evidence supports hazard buffering by natural features, typically through plausible associations rather than causal experiments. For health promotional services, physiological evidence of stress reduction has been documented in direct response to both visual and physical access to green space. This health benefit promotes cognitive function and is protective for many diseases. Stress reduction has been shown to result from physical activity, social interaction, and engagement with nature. The Browser provides results from studies designed to isolate health effects mediated by nature experience versus physical activity or social interaction that lacks a green component.The Browser represents the state of the science on eco-health relationships. It was designed to demonstrate the multiple benefits of green infrastructure and increase awareness of nature’s role in individual and community health and well-being. The current version features four ecosystems, including urban systems, six ecosystem services, and more than 30 related health outcomes. Information presented in the Browser is the result of a systematic literature review evaluating the evidence from peer-reviewed journal articles published from 1 January 1990 to 31 December 2013. Diagnostics show that these publications have increased dramatically over time, and span the ecology, public health, and urban design literature. The Browser can help users identify the extent to which ecosystem services have been associated with health outcomes, and has the potential to help practitioners and decision makers better understand the synergistic benefits of healthy and functioning ecosystems.Although this material was reviewed and approved by EPA, it does not necessarily reflect official Agency policy.