The link between modern lifestyles and increasing levels of chronic heart disease, obesity, stress and poor mental health is a concern across the world. The cost of dealing with these conditions places a large burden on national public health budgets so that policymakers are increasingly looking at prevention as a cost-effective alternative to medical treatment. Attention is turning towards interactions between the environment and lifestyles.
Exploring the relationships between health, natural environments in general, and forests in particular, this groundbreaking book is the outcome of the European Union’s COST Action E39 ‘Forests, Trees and Human Health and Wellbeing’, and draws together work carried out over four years by scientists from 25 countries working in the fields of forestry, health, environment and social sciences. While the focus is primarily on health priorities defined within Europe, this volume explicitly draws also on research from North America.
Reviews
From the reviews:
“This book—the product of a four-year European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) project—is a timely addition to the literature … . the book seems ideal for the practitioner or service-manager looking for a comprehensive overview of the key considerations for using forests and other ‘green spaces’ more systematically to enhance the health and quality of the life of individuals and communities.” (Mike Morgan, International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, Vol. 18 (10), October, 2011)
Editors and Affiliations
Faculty of Life Sciences, Department of Parks and Urban Landscapes, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
Kjell Nilsson
, Land Use and Social Research, Forestry Commission, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Marcus Sangster
, National Agricultural Research Foundatio, Forest Research Institute, Thessaloniki, Greece
Christos Gallis
, Institute for Housing and Urban Research, Uppsala University, Gävle, Sweden
Terry Hartig
, Alterra, Wageningen UR, Wageningen, Netherlands
Sjerp de Vries
, Group Society, Environment & Culture, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (E, Zurich, Switzerland
Klaus Seeland
, National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen K, Denmark
Jasper Schipperijn
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Forests, Trees and Human Health
Editors: Kjell Nilsson, Marcus Sangster, Christos Gallis, Terry Hartig, Sjerp de Vries, Klaus Seeland, Jasper Schipperijn
