As the Nation’s Ecologist, Myla Aronson of Rutgers University, revealed in cutting-edge research that she recently published, in her talk, she underscores the tremendous health impacts that can be achieved through increasing biodiversity in city environments. That’s why the 500-acre preserve located in Franklin Township, Somerset County, is an invaluable research base. Aronson has spent the last two decades exploring the unique, colorful, biodiverse ecosystem found within its borders.
For her most recent piece in the journal People and Nature, Aronson did a systematic review of more than 1,500 studies. She went on to explain that by increasing biodiversity, we can create more healthy cities that are better for our health. This groundbreaking study not only highlights the importance of parks and native plants but calls for sustainable landscaping practices as essential components of urban planning.
Aronson’s research combines results from at least five other studies to show the co-benefits of biodiversity conservation and improved human health. She notes that “this is the first time that diverse literature has been compiled to show the large potential for co-benefits between human health and biodiversity conservation in cities.” The positive implications of her work point to the need for urban planners and designers to make biodiversity a core consideration in designing urban green spaces.
The authors contend that urban residents—especially marginalized populations—stand to gain from these environmental improvements in a variety of ways. According to Aronson, “they breathe cleaner air, feel less stressed, and build stronger social bonds.” This accumulation of positive benefits strengthens the overall message that bringing nature back into our urban environments can create healthier communities in more ways than one.
Aronson’s article emphasizes the need for a smarter strategy to urban greenspaces. Written by Erica N. Spotswood, Asha K. Panzarella, and others “Designing and managing urban greenspaces for biodiversity will be good for people,” she asserts. Shifting the perspective, biodiversity should be not only an ecological goal of municipalities, but a public health strategy.
The study overwhelmingly supports designing with parks in mind and incorporating native plantings. Complementary adaptations These actions can create more biodiverse environments that enhance human well-being and ecological resilience. This illustrates the economic opportunity and trade-off involving biodiversity-supporting green features in urban cities. These ingredients lay the foundation for healthier, more equitable communities.