It was a ‘White Lotus’ moment.
As we drew closer to the riverbank, we could see people waiting to greet us, and hear a bell being rung to announce our arrival. Stepping carefully off the boat onto terra firma we were greeted by smiling staff proffering wet white towels to wipe our hands with, and an exotic fruit ‘welcome’ drink.
It had long been a dream to one day visit the Amazonian rainforest and here we were, drinking in the majesty of the forest around us, listening to its sounds and birdsong and feeling like David Attenborough on one of his exciting nature discovery tours.
Just, “Wow!”
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- Jenny playing in the Amazon dirt
It’s well described how spending time interacting with our natural environment is good for our mind, body and soul.
But beyond the “wow” effect of being in a place of great natural beauty, what matters is not just getting out into a green or blue space more often but seeking out where possible to get to those places where you are exposed to the greatest amount of biodiversity.
May 22nd is the International Day of Biodiversity and an important day to remind ourselves that without biodiversity we would not be here.
I say that, because biodiversity underpins all life on Earth.
You don’t have to go to the Amazon rainforest, but there’s a world of difference in the nature effect of going to a park where there’s a bit of patchy grass and a few trees to being in a green space with a wide variety of plants, trees, birds and animals.
According to the WHO Biodiversity Guidelines the benefits include,
1. Improved mental health and well-being.
Spending time in rich biodiverse environments lowers cortisol, blood pressure, improves mood and cognitive function.
The minimum amount of time to achieve this effect is 120 mins/week. More is better. Taking 30 minutes out of your day to be outside at the beach, park or bushland is the best investment you can make to improve your coping skills, resilience and overall well-being.
2. Nutrition and Food Security.
Humans thrive when we have access to a rich and varied diet. Plants and animals that can thrive and adapt to different environments and climate change provides us with greater food security.
Did you know that pollinators – bees, wasps, butterflies , birds and bats contribute to the 75% of crops that are partially dependent on them to boost yields?
3. Pharmaceuticals.
From aspirin from willow bark, digitalis from the foxglove and Viagra for the Brazilian pit-viper, it’s estimated that 1/3 of all medicines are derived directly from plants, fungi and other biological compounds.
4. Strengthened immune system.
Regular exposure and interaction with the natural environment have been shown to modulate how the immune system works, protecting us against allergies, asthma and chronic inflammation.
5. Disease regulation.
Loss of biodiversity increases the risk of cross-species (zoonotic) infection. Loss of natural habitats and land clearing changes wildlife behaviour and increases the risk of human contact.
The current Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda is believed to be a spillover from infected wildlife and spread by fruit bats.
Healthy biodiverse ecosystems are critical to protecting and purifying our water supply. Deforestation and drought are associated with reduced water for agriculture and urban water supplies.
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- Red Howler monkey
Biodiversity matters.
This International Biodiversity Day take a moment to reflect and ask what action you can take to address and minimise the impact of biodiversity loss on human health.
This year’s theme is “Act Locally for Global Impact.”
Human health and planetary health are interdependent.
Our sad reality is that Australia has suffered the largest decline in biodiversity of any continent and has the highest rate of extinctions in the modern world.
Simple ways we can all help include,
- Planting native trees, shrubs and groundcover in your garden
- Replace swathes of grassy lawn with native plants
- Allow leaf litter, and some dead flower heads to remain to provide important micro-habitats. More mulch please!
- Create layers of habitat from low lying grasses and ground covers to taller plants and trees. Greening Australia calls this technique creating a living plant lasagne!
- Add a small water feature, pond or birdbath.
Professor Thomas Astell-Burt and team from the Sydney-based Centre for Flourishing Cities are working hard to restore urban nature and improve population and planetary health. Their tireless efforts are helping to ensure everyone can enjoy better health through stronger and better urban design.
Because we depend on nature and nature depends on us.
I’d love to hear, what have you witnessed or been part of to improve the level of biodiversity where you live?
