THE IMPORTANCE OF NATURE

“Nature provides a service we cannot afford to ignore. Evidence shows
that people are healthier, physically fitter and better adjusted and
children’s behaviour and schoolwork improve, if they have access
to the countryside, parks or gardens. According to Public Health England,
poor air quality in urban areas is said to be a factor in 29000 premature
deaths in the UK every year.

A recent report in the “lancet “ ( the Lancet -- a world leading general medical journal) associates the noise and air pollution of busy roads with “Alzheimer’s Disease.” Fresh air long considered a tonic is not just avoiding pollution. Toxicologists are discovering that air provided by nature is loaded with microbes produced by plants, fungi and bacteria that are beneficial to health and boost the immune system. Even the remote sight of nature has curative effects. Health services have found that hospital patients need fewer painkillers after surgery and recover much faster if they have views of nature from their beds. In 2007 Natural England and the RSPB compiled studies from the UK, US and Europe in a report called “Natural Thinking” highlighting the effects of nature on mental health. One in six of the UK population suffers from depression, anxiety, stress, phobias, suicidal impulses, obsessive compulsive disorders or panic attacks – sometimes in deadly combination. This costs the National Health Service 12.5 billion pounds, the economy 23.1 billion pounds in lost output and 41.8 billion pound in the human costs of reduced quality of life and loss of life. The studies show that symptoms of all these disorders are alleviated with time spent in nature. Measurements of blood pressure, pulse rates and cortisol levels of young adults demonstrate a decrease in anger and an increase of positive mood when walking in a nature reserve, while the reverse is true when walking in an urban environment. Low levels of self-discipline, impulsive behaviour, aggression, hyperactivity and inattention in young people all improve through contact with nature. Studies on children who were bullied, punished, relocated or suffering from family strife all showed that they benefitted from closeness to nature, both in levels of stress and self-worth. “                   
Extract from “Wilding” Isabella Tree