Page - 4 - in Biodiversity and Health in the Face of Climate Change

4 through loss of these vital services, diminished options for medicines and increased transmission of infectious diseases (WHO & CBD 2015; Sandifer et  al. 2015; Hough 2014). Unsurprisingly then, biodiversity has been shown to be positively associated with good physical health (Hough 2014; Lovell et  al. 2014). Less under- stood, however, are the impacts of biodiversity on other aspects of human health and well-being. Whilst a fast-growing field of research is investigating the influence of biodiversity on mental health and well-being (Aerts et  al. 2018;  Lovell et  al. 2014; Dallimer et  al. 2012; Fuller et  al. 2007; Wheeler et  al. 2015; Cox et  al. 2017; Marselle et  al. 2015, 2016; Carrus et  al. 2015; Cracknell et  al. 2016, 2017; Johansson et  al. 2014), work is still progressing in this area, and evidence gaps remain. For example, the mechanistic pathways through which biodiversity influences mental health and well-being is undeveloped. Several models consider the pathways through which nature might influence various dimensions of health and well-being (Hartig et  al. 2014; Markevych et  al. 2017), yet it is unknown whether these same mechanistic pathways would hold for biodiversity and health and well-being rela- tionships. In this book, we aim to synthesise existing studies and further develop the research agenda. Increasingly, the importance of biodiversity for human health and well-being is being recognised by international governments and organizations (WHO & CBD 2015, CBD 2017a, ten Brick et  al. 2016). The linkage between biodiversity and human health is at the heart of several high-level strategic decisions being taken at a national and international scale. The Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are collaborating to promote the inter- linkages between biodiversity and human health sectors as secured in the Conference of the Parties (COP) 12 Decision XII/21 and joint publications (WHO & CBD 2015, CBD 2017a, b, c). The Health 2020 policy framework of the WHO European Region identifies the importance of environmental conditions as health determinants, and has recently published a review of the evidence of urban green space for health (WHO 2017c). The United Nations 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development has dedicated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) both for health and biodiversity, and current activities under the CBD aim to closely align health and biodiversity issues. The relevance of biodiversity to physical and mental health is also reflected in levels of EU research activity, the quantity of public and private expenditure, and the number of high-profile government initiatives on biodiversity and health (EKLIPSE 2017). High-profile international initiatives and research on biodiversity and health also highlight this burgeoning area (e.g. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Association for Ecology and Health (Eco Health), and One Health). Awareness of the significant potential for synergies between improvement of human health and adaptation to climate change with conservation of biodiversity is also increasing in applied resource management, urban planning, landscape archi- tecture and protected areas management. In practice, there is growing interest in the use of green space in general, and biodiversity in particular, for physical, mental M. R. Marselle et al.