Month: January 2019

Urbanization and modern lifestyle changes have diminished possibilities for human contact with nature in many societies. At the same time, many societies today face increasing incidence of poor physical and mental health associated with chronic stress, insufficient physical activity and exposure to anthropogenic environmental hazards that cannot be addressed by medicine and technology alone. Forests, urban forests and other green spaces may be incorporated into public health systems and policies to promote mental and physical health and reduce morbidity and mortality in residents by supporting relaxation and stress alleviation, stimulating social cohesion, encouraging physical activity, and reducing exposure to air pollutants, noise and excessive heat.

The World Conference on Forests for Public Health will bring together well-known scientists from different countries and disciplines to present research and state-of-the-art knowledge and theories on the significance of the role of forests and green spaces in improving the health and well-being of a population; and challenges the urban and landscape planning fields face in designing green infrastructure that benefits physical activities both in urban space and in forests and nature.

The main topics of conference will include:

Forest medicine for public health
Mental health benefits of exposure to nature
Planning physical activities in forests or natural environment for public health
Urban forests and their ecosystem services for public health
Urban forestry and green space planning and design for human activity
Forest therapy, health policies, practices, economics and culture of forests for public health
Green care on public landscapes for public health