Riikka Paloniemi, Head of Unit, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), at Europe That Protects - Safeguarding Our Planet, Safeguarding Our Health EU side event, 3-4 Dec 2019, THL, Helsinki

1. Multiple uses of forests
for better health and wellbeing
Riikka Paloniemi, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE)
Twitter: @RiikkaPaloniemi
1

2. 2
Multiple uses of
of forests are
intertwined with
various societal
needs and
systems
https://www.eea.europa.eu/media/infographics/core-societal-systems-meet-diverse/view
EEA, 2015

3. 3
Current social systems are decreasing also forest
biodiversity - how severe health impacts does it cause?

4. European HERA stakeholders (N=355)
evaluating business-as-usual
scenarios for 2050
(UNEP’s 2019; OECD’s 2012)
Experts
perceptions on
the severeness
of global trends
on health

5. Most important policy areas addressing future health challenges

6. Health benefits
of forests are
increasingly
approached on
individual and
social scales

7. Diverse health benefits from forests

9. 9
New ways to conceptualise health benefits
Right to healthy living environment
Nature based solutions

10. 10
New practices are
increasingly co-
developed to
encourage
behavioral
change for health
and sustainability

11. Koskela & Aulake (Eds) (2019) Luontoaskeltoimintamalli.
11
Nature Step
Longer forest visist for clients of local health
centre in Sipoonkorpi national park
Tyrväinen et al. (2017) Kohti suomalaista terveysmetsän mallia.
Photo: Marko Leppänen p.18
Daily/ weekly visists in near-by forest
for children in municipal kindergarten
EVOLVING EVERYDAY PRACTICES
NEW PROFESSIONAL COOPERATION
NEW KNOWLEDGE ON HEALTH BENEFITS
PLANNING ENSURING ACCESS TO FORESTS
Health Forest

12. Examples of nature-based solutions and measures linked to SDGs across Europe
See: Faivre N., et al. (2017) Nature-Based Solutions in the EU. Environmental Research 159: 509-518
Recreational opportunities of forests in Europe
See: Varumo et al. (2019) D2.2. Mapping of forest ecosystem services and institutional frameworks. InnoForESt
.

13. 13
Need for
systemic
change to
ensure quality,
accessibility and
use of forests
EEA, 2015
https://www.eea.europa.eu/media/infographics/core-societal-systems-meet-diverse/view

14. 14
Thank you!
More information about health benefits of nature:
Flandroy L. et al. (2018) The impact of human activities and lifestyles on the interlinked microbiota and
health of humans and of ecosystems. Science of the Total Environment, 627 : 1018-1038.
van den Bosch, M. & Ode Sang Å. (2017) Urban natural environments as nature-based solutions for
improved public health – A systematic review of reviews. Environmental Research 158: 373-384.
Twohig-Bennett, C. & Jones, A. (2018) The health benefits of the great outdoors: A systematic review and
meta-analysis of greenspace exposure and health outcomes. Environmental Research 166: 628-637
Paloniemi et al. (2017) Promoting healt with interaction with nature in urban areas. SYKE’s policy brief:
http://hdl.handle.net/10138/21521
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiversity_hypothesis_of_health
More information about nature based solutions:
Faivre N., et al. (2017) Nature-Based Solutions in the EU. Environmental Research 159: 509-518.
Raymond C. et al. (2017) An impact evaluation framework… EKLIPSE Expert Working Group report on NBS,
available online: https://bit.ly/2nnfC4K