Research: positive effect of urban nature on mental health
A new study conducted by researchers at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research in Leipzig shows the positive effect of urban nature on mental health.
The research looks at the correlation between the use of prescription antidepressants and the amount of tree cover present across a range of neighbourhoods, and found that more trees within 100m of a person's home is associated with a reduced use of antidepressants.
Senior author Prof Aletta Bonn says: “To create these synergy effects, you don't even need large-scale expensive parks: more trees along the streets will do the trick. And street trees are a relatively inexpensive nature-based solution for climate and health promotion.”