4 Ways Forests Support Our Physical and Mental Well-Being
Trees store carbon dioxide, decreasing the greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere that would otherwise contribute to global warming and harm communities. Urban forest ecosystems capture harmful air pollutants, minimize extreme heat, and reduce exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Critical health products, particularly plant-based biopharmaceuticals that treat cancer, migraines, malaria, and fevers, are derived from tropical forests. Healthy forests also benefit the approximately 80 percent of terrestrial species that call forests “home,” providing diverse habitat, food, and shelter for the vast biodiversity that enriches our planet.
Here are some of the myriad ways that the health of forest ecosystems underpins the health of people.
1. Forests regulate water supplies and improve water quality
Secure access to clean water supports good health, sanitation, and agriculture, and can lower the likelihood of water insecurity-related conflict. Forests’ water-filtration abilities reduce the prevalence of diarrheal diseases, which is a primary driver of childhood mortality. During rain events, trees and roots help to reduce surface runoff and loss of topsoil, and recharge underground water storage. This helps to prevent flooding, which can be catastrophic for the environment, as well as for human life and property. Forests are essential for limiting coastal flooding; the loss of mangrove forests, for example, would result in an estimated fifteen million additional people across the globe threatened by flooding annually.
Bird's-eye view of Cordillera Azul National Park from Pucallpa to Tarapoto. (Photo credit: Marilu Bacigalupo, USAID/Peru)
2. Healthy forests support healthy wildlife and decrease risk of disease spread
Large, intact forested areas generally help wildlife to thrive. Deforestation and fragmentation cause forest birds and mammals to be stressed and shed a greater amount of virus when infected. In addition, deforestation increases the likelihood that wildlife will come into contact with domestic animals and humans, increasing opportunities for zoonotic disease spillover. Diverse habitats, clean water, and abundant biodiversity support species at each level of the food chain, helping to maintain balance between predators and prey. This is important because a lack of predators can yield a preponderance of small mammals, such as rodents that act as effective zoonotic hosts and thus, increase the likelihood of infectious disease epidemics.
Bat hanging from a tree in Chonburi, Thailand. (Photo credit: Montakan Tanchaisawat, USAID/Asia)
3. Forests provide food for local communities—and the world
Forests underscore productive food systems at both the local and global levels. Many rural communities rely on the diversity of forest items, i.e., non-timber forest products such as fruit, berries, and seeds, for nutrition and economic security, increasing their resilience and ability to weather shocks such as drought. The dietary quality of many forest foods is high. Many of the micronutrients provided by forest foods have important health and developmental functions, such as vitamin A, which assists with vision and the immune system. Forests also support pollinators, which provide an essential ecosystem service by enabling the production of many fruits and vegetables. Roughly 75 percent of leading food crops are dependent on pollinators, which in turn rely on the diverse sources of nectar and pollen that forests provide to stay healthy.
A farm worker with the Kalahan Educational Foundation in the Philippines picks guava at the Foundation's nursery on the hill above town. (Photo credit: Jason Houston for USAID)
4. Forests support critical cultural heritage and human mental health
Forests are repositories of both natural and cultural heritage, particularly for the millions of Indigenous Peoples who are often considered excellent guardians of their native forests. Although Indigenous communities comprise 5 percent of the world’s population, they manage nearly a quarter of Earth’s landmass and carry out traditional forest practices that represent an intangible form of cultural heritage that benefits all of society. USAID recognizes the importance of sacred landscapes that hold historic importance for different peoples. In this vein, USAID’s Sustainable Conservation Approaches in Priority Ecosystems (SCAPES) project harnessed a community mobilization approach for forest and natural resource conservation to protect the Sacred Himalayan Landscape. Cultural practices that encourage human connection with forests also reveal health benefits: studies show that the Japanese practice of forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, reduces pulse rate and levels of depression, fatigue, and anxiety. Forest greenspace in urban areas similarly improves mental health and may decrease income-related health inequality.
Jeep safaris are replacing elephant safaris in Chitwan National Park and Kumrose Community Forest, Nepal, catering to tourists more sensitive to animal rights issues or who are simply looking for a different experience. (Photo credit: Jason Houston for USAID)
Ushering in an era of One Health-focused forest management
Global recognition of the vital contributions that biodiversity and healthy forest ecosystems make to human health has never been more salient. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, calls for urgent action to “restore, maintain and enhance nature’s contributions to people, including ecosystem functions” to improve human health. Sustainably managing forests to conserve biodiversity and provide ecosystem services is, however, complex and requires cross-sectoral collaboration and integrated systems thinking–in essence, One Health. USAID supports cross-sectoral collaboration to benefit high biodiversity landscapes and the communities that depend on them through global initiatives such as Health, Ecosystems, and Agriculture for Resilient, Thriving Societies (HEARTH). In Zambia, for example, two HEARTH activities combine biodiversity, agriculture, and global health expertise and funding to improve forest ecosystems and community wellbeing.
About the Author: Clarisa Merkatz is a Virtual Student Federal Service Intern with USAID’s One Health Working Group.
