Natural diversity was defined by how much of four natural features – trees, plants, birds and water – were present in the participant's surrounding environment. The data was collected using the Urban Mind app developed by King's College London, landscape architects J&L Gibbons and arts foundation Nomad Projects.
The Urban Mind project is funded by a Wellcome Climate Impacts Award to Professor Andrea Mecheli, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Center and the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration South London.
“In the context of climate change, we are seeing rapid declines in biodiversity in the UK as well as globally,” said senior author Andrea Mecheli, Professor of Early Intervention in Mental Health at IoPPN.
“Our results show that biodiversity is important not only for the health of our natural environments but also for the mental well-being of people living in these environments. It is time to recognize that biodiversity has co-benefits for planetary and human health. And it should be considered critical infrastructure within our cities.”
