Policy brief: “Landscape diversity enhances human health”
Diverse agricultural and forest landscapes enhance human physical and mental health. Even small land use changes can introduce health risks into the environment.
Landscape diversity refers to the variety and spatial arrangement of different ecosystems and landforms within a specific area. It supports species diversity and is essential for ecological processes and functions, thereby playing a crucial role in the ecosystem services that nature provides for human health and well-being. However, significant land use changes and intensification have led to landscape homogenisation, reducing biodiversity and the benefits it provides.
In 2018, Biodiversa+ launched the BiodivHealth call to support research at the intersection of biodiversity and health. This brief presents findings from FUNPROD, Dr.FOREST and ANTIVERSA on how diverse agricultural and forest landscapes enhance human physical and mental health and, conversely, how even small changes in land use can introduce health risks such as tick-borne diseases and antimicrobial resistance into the environment. The brief further suggests practices that can promote landscape heterogeneity to improve both biodiversity conservation and human health outcomes.
