Forests Reduce Health Risks, New Global Report Confirms
Existing evidence strongly supports a wide range of physical, mental, social and spiritual health benefits associated with forests and green spaces.
The global scientific evidence of the multiple types of benefits that forests, trees and green spaces have on human health has now been assessed by an international and interdisciplinary team of scientists.
The outcome is presented in a major report titled “Forests and Trees for Human Health: Pathways, Impacts, Challenges and Response Options” by the Global Forest Expert Panels (GFEP) Programme of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) in the frame of the IUFRO-led Joint Initiative of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF).
Key messages of the GFEP report
- Forests, trees and green spaces impact human health across all life stages
- Positive health outcomes of forests, trees and green spaces significantly outweigh negative ones
- The health outcomes of forests are the result of several pathways that are dependent on context and individual lifestyles
- Forest-health relations need to be considered when dealing with global crises
- Integrative and cross-sectoral approaches need to be adopted to improve the forest-health link
Download the report and the policy brief on IUFRO website.
Fact sheets, media release and photos
