Wetlands and health: How do urban wetlands contribute to community well-being?

Abstract

Much discussion relating to interactions between wetlands and people has focused on detrimental effects on health through wetland degradation and potentially toxic exposures. In recent years, however, there is greater recognition of the role wetlands play in improving the quality of human surroundings and providing cultural ecosystem services as aesthetically pleasing places for recreation, education and spiritual development. This chapter explores positive health benefits associated with the use and enhancement of urban wetlands. Potential benefits include improved physical and psychological health, increased community connection and sense of place, and those derived from community involvement in urban conservation. To illustrate how various human health benefits may be recorded and reported, this chapter includes a case study that explores the community benefits generated through use of the Swan Canning Riverpark in Perth, Western Australia. The Riverpark consists of more than 150 conservation reserves and recreation parklands located along the banks of the Swan and Canning Rivers-a metropolitan river system that holds great spiritual, cultural and social value for the people of Perth. In 2010, the Swan River Trust began a process of parkland assessment and survey to monitor, evaluate and report on the level of community benefit derived through use of this system.