WEDNESDAY (28 June 2017) MORNING SESSIONS

For detailed programme click here

 

 

SESSION 1 - Biodiversity or green space?  Evidence for contribution to health in a changing climate

Chair: Rebecca Lovel

(Defra Research Fellow on the Natural Environment and Human Health, European Centre for Environment and Human Health,
University of Exeter Medical School, UK) tbc

 

Leading questions

1. What is the actual contribution of biodiversity to health? Or is the main predictor green space without any specific biodiversity attributes? What evidence exists from epidemiological studies and studies which focus on self-reported health effects?
2. How will these impacts change within a changing climate? How can we assess this?
3. How can this help inform conservation and health management and policy development?

 

SESSION 2 - Health and protected areas in a changing climate

 

Chair: Veikko Virkkunen
(Metsähallitus, NHS Ostrobothnia Regional Unit / Europark Federation, Finland)

 

Leading questions

1. What is the contribution of protected areas and biodiversity on health and well-being on individual, community and society levels?
2. How can the protected areas’ benefits on health and well-being be measured, quantified and valued – what do we know already and what are the latest solutions? How will these impacts change within a changing climate? How can we assess this?
3. Which new innovations and programs help to connect people to parks to improve their health?
4. How can individuals and special target groups with passive and unhealthy lifestyles be activated and motivated to get health benefits from protected areas?

 

SESSION 3 - Linking initiatives in biodiversity, health, and climate change action in policy and practice

Chair: Hans Keune
(The Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Belgium)

 

Leading questions

1. Treatment and prevention measures aimed at lowering the (partly biodiversity/nature related) health burden linked to climate change may partly blind the potential health impact of climate change. This may result in underestimation of the health burden of climate change. How can we tackle this dilemma in both science and policy, finding a balance between on the one hand treating & preventing health problems while on the other also taking the full extent of the causal factor climate change seriously?
2. What can be the role of health arguments in the debate around climate change action, in general and specifically in relation to biodiversity?
3. What are good examples of linking knowledge, policy and practice - why do they work or not? How can we find indicators to assess effectiveness of such initiatives?

 

SESSION 4 - The benefits of green space for enhancing human health – lessons learned from urban interventions

 

Chair: Matthias Braubach

(World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe)

 

Leading questions

1. What actions are implemented on the local level to improve access to green spaces, and what are the lessons learned?
2. What are the environmental impacts and health benefits of urban green space actions? How may they change in a changing climate?
3. How to measure impacts of urban green spaces and how can unintended consequences be identified and avoided?

 

 

WEDNESDAY (28 June 2017) AFTERNOON SESSIONS

For detailed programme click here

 

 

SESSION 5 - Psychological effects of nature and biodiversity on human health and well-being

Chair: Dörte Martens
(Eberswalde University for sustainable development, Germany) tbc

 

Leading questions

1. What are the psychological effects of urban and rural nature / biodiversity on human health and well-being?
2. What infrastructure and green space developments can foster positive psychological health effects? How will provision and demand change with a changing climate?
3. How can we assess these changes and develop indicators and guidance for management and planning?

 

SESSION 6 - Allergenic plants and vector borne diseases – relevance to human health in a changing climate

Chair: Regina Treudler
(University of Leipzig, Germany)

Leading questions

1. Which are the main effects of climate change on allergenic species as well as on timing and length of the pollen season? How does climate change influence plant productivity and pollen production and does climate change affect the release and atmospheric dispersion of pollen?
2. Which are the effects of climate change on vector borne diseases? How does climate change impact e.g. on mosquito and tick populations and which are the main risks to human health in Europe (i.e. Dengue fever)?
3. Which are the clinical and socio-economic effects of altered allergenic species and (re) appearance of vector borne diseases in Europe?
4. How can epidemiological and self-reported health studies or other approaches inform management?

 

SESSION 7 - Nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation and their role in fostering health and socio-environmental equity

 

Chair: Melissa Marselle 

(German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity, iDiv, Germany)

Leading questions

1.  How can nature-based solutions for adaptation to climate change foster both human health and environmental justice? What concerns exist with regards to social equity?
2. How can environmental justice concerns be integrated into overarching municipal goals and strategies? What instruments and developments are needed to implement these?
3. What are the challenges and opportunities? How do existing case studies inform good practice? 

SESSION 8 - Planning and managing urban green spaces for health and biodiversity in a changing climate – Concepts, experiences, practice

 

Chair: Stefan Heiland
(Technische Universität Berlin, Germany)

 

Leading questions

1. How can health promotion be integrated into instruments of nature conservation and environmental planning (landscape planning, environmental assessments, management plans of nature reserves) in an urban context?
2. Which sectors and actors from administrations and civil society have to be involved into health-related planning processes and decisions? Which experiences do exist so far?
3. Supporting biodiversity, health and climate change mitigation and adaptation: Which conflicts and synergies have to be considered? How could conflicts be minimized and synergies created?
4. How could “green mobility networks” for daily pedestrial and cycling travel be implemented in planning and practice? What are constraints and opportunities? Which national and international experiences do exist?