Anne Cleary at the B4C Sustainability Centre. May 6 2017.
Environmental scientist and nature enthusiast Anne Cleary of Griffith University was our May Open Day guest speaker. She spoke about the link between people’s nature connection and health and well-being including issues of access to nature and health inequalities.
Anne has been researching and developing an understanding of people’s nature connection and how this influences their psychological wellbeing as well as their attitudes and behaviours towards the environment. She has also worked for the World Health Organisation in Germany exploring the health benefits of urban nature.
Anne provided lots of fascinating findings and insights, backed up by science and research data.
The recommended reading Anne provided includes:
- Nature for Health and Equity (produced by the Institute for European Environmental Policy for the Friends of the Earth Europe).
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The Four Evidence Cards provided in Biodiversity, Health and Wellbeing in Cornwall’s Public Open Space on Beyond Greenspace.
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Urban green space interventions and health: A review of impacts and effectiveness (WHO)
- ‘Branching Out’ – 12 week ecotherapy programme for mental health patients: http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/supporting/strategy-policy-guidance/health-strategy/branching-out
Below is just a small snapshot of the topics Anne covered in her presentation.
Anne provided examples of how groups are achieving success in this area and discussed the key elements to well-being in conservation activities.
You can follow Anne on Twitter where she is regularly sharing new and useful information on this topic.
