How to enjoy the services of the earth
How Does USDA Recognize That People And Nature Are Interdependent?
Addressing climate change with smart agriculture and forestry
The impact of the relationship between humans and nature on human health
Socioeconomics, developmental psychology, and biology have clear relationships in the relational balance between health, lifestyle, and biophilic natural domains (40, 53, 81), and between socioeconomics and the environment(5, 75). Some examples of this include human preference for scenes dominated by natural elements (4), the sustainability of natural resources (5, 6), and the health benefits associated with contact with nature (7–9).
From these examples, the impact of the relationship between humans and nature on human health is of increasing interest as evidence continues to accumulate in the research literature (10). Through the study of key concepts such as evolutionary biology, socioeconomics, evolutionary psychology, and environmental protection, a broader understanding of the various ways in which humans relate to their natural environment has been developed. [Sources: 2, 10]
We see nature as a comprehensive and evolving system, with human beings possessing a wealth of but incomplete scientific and cultural knowledge. Because people are inextricably linked with nature and rely on plants, animals and microbes to provide vital ecosystem services, it is imperative to find ways to reach the minds and hearts of all to better understand life, nature and what it means to lose biodiversity.
In my opinion, there are important limitations to successfully applying the ecosystem concept to humans and the built environment. Nonetheless, as I shall explain below, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is taking the initiative in moving forward in an impactful way to “make a difference” concerning the agency’s program to recognize that people and nature are interdependent. [Sources: 0, 1, 4]
Environmentalism — an ideology or social movement
Defining an ecosystem, how it works, how people influence it and why: answers to all these questions and more information pertaining to environmentalism can be found at source 10 at the end of this paragraph. A brief overview of human health and ecosystems from an interdisciplinary perspective can likewise be found at source 10. Not Since the late nineteenth century, many descriptive models have been developed to describe aspects of human health and the natural environment and their relationships (17). [Sources: 8, 10]
By combining these concepts, the relationship between man and nature and their impact on human health is then explored with the conceptual model being developed. In this way, the researchers emphasized the importance of implementing all the features of accounting for ecosystem services, in particular the inclusion of natural capital and health capital, as well as mechanisms for their intervention. Biophysical and economic values are often used to help understand the complex interplay between ecosystems, their services, and human well-being, but community values are rarely taken into account. [Sources: 2, 5]
Addressing climate change via smart agriculture and forestry
Notwithstanding this shortcoming of not taking community values into account, the Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary Tom Vilsack plans to proactively change this in the coming months and years. In his January 7, 2021 “USDA First Friday: The People’s Department Serves Our People” message [Source 13] he outlined how the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will address climate change via climate-smart agriculture and forestry, AND integrate this program with other USDA programs and services in which the agency will work with farmers, ranchers, forest landowners, partners and rural communities in meeting the challenge of climate change.
He emphasized the role that the agency will continue to play in leading the way with investments in “…science, research and climate-smart solutions that improve the profitability and resilience of producers and forest health while creating new income opportunities and generational wealth that builds in those same communities”. Indeed, the agency may be seen at the forefront of the US Government agencies that are prioritizing the importance of preserving the planet’s ecosystems! [Source: 13]
The importance of preserving ecosystems
Like all other creatures, humans depend on natural ecosystem services for survival. We need it to get the food we eat, the water we drink, and to turn raw materials into our everyday products. Therefore, in order to maintain our living conditions, it is very important to protect natural ecosystems. The ecosystem is the basic unit in the field of natural science research. [Source: 8]
The forest demonstrates the interdependence, interconnection, and competition between trees, shrubs, flowers, grasses, large and small animals, soils, microbes, minerals, and nutrients in the soils and the air that pervades and surrounds them. Each part has a place and a function in its own organization, an organization called the forest ecosystem. Because all parts of the system are interconnected, no part can change without a massive impact on the entire system. [Sources: 11]
Furthermore, ecosystems also evolve due to external or unforeseen events. For example, climate or natural events may cause changes in the environment. As a result, the biome’s ecosystem adapts to these new constraints and changes as needed. [Sources: 8]
How to enjoy the services of the earth
Such natural solutions mediate the relationship between human activities and ecosystem processes in urban landscapes and, if properly developed, can mitigate human impacts. By integrating nature to restore ecosystem services, we also meet our biophilic needs, increasing the potential for human health and happiness. Recognizing the value of nature and wildlife, the biological and cultural ecosystem services they provide us, in modern terms, we are also actively bringing other species to our cities. Only by restoring a more harmonious and lasting coexistence with natural habitats and their living populations will we be able to enjoy the services of the Earth. [Sources: 1, 8]
The interdependence of humans and urban ecosystems
Large green spaces in many cities are often part of an integrated network that connects them to forests and other natural ecosystems far beyond the city limits. Ecologists find it difficult to understand urban ecosystems as places where humans and nature co-evolve because these particular co-evolutionary partnerships violate the robust Linnaean categories that are used to organize life in the world independently of humans. However, it seems that all that is changing for the better. It appears that more and more ecologists are recognizing the interdependence of humans and nature. This is a good thing! [Sources: 1, 4]
The importance of conserving habitats and protecting nature
As forests are also home to 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity, they are an important landscape in our efforts to conserve habitats and protect natural heritage. Investing in forests offers significant opportunities for companies seeking to combat climate change, protect nature and create jobs with a single measure. Responsible conservation and restoration of forests can be a cost-effective solution to help remove atmospheric carbon and increase resilience to climate change. [Sources: 9]
The Takeaway — humanity’s relationship to nature and its impact on health
In this way, a more multi-dimensional perspective of human health will be obtained, the knowledge that can be applied to solve the problems identified in the section on ” The impact of human-nature relations on health” (for example, improving the accounting of natural ecosystem services). and health). It is expected that by using these diverse fields of knowledge, a deeper level of understanding of the growing question of humanity’s relationship to nature and its impact on health can be achieved. [Sources: 2, 10]
Thank you for reading! My thanks to @DrMehmetYildiz for kindly publishing my blog post! Please share your sentiment in the comments section. Thank you!
The Sources List is at the very bottom of my blog post! Enjoy!
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Sources
[0]: https://mcharg.upenn.edu/conversations/what-does-it-mean-design-nature-now
[2]: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5114301/
[3]: https://www.nwf.org/Eco-Schools-USA/Pathways/LEAF
[4]: https://www.iucn.org/news/europe/201801/spirit-nature-everything-connected
[5]: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecs2.2121
[6]: https://www.fs.fed.us/blogs/leaders-perspective-shared-stewardship
[7]: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378015300145
[8]: https://youmatter.world/en/definition/ecosystem-definition-example/
[10]: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2016.00260/full
[11]: https://www.fdacs.gov/Forest-Wildfire/Wildland-Fire/Prescribed-Fire/The-Natural-Role-of-Fire
[12]: https://www.humansandnature.org/at-the-center-of-all-things-is-interdependence
[13]:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/inside-fs/mail-call/usda-first-friday-peoples-department-serves-our-people
