Forest biodiversity and structure modulate human health benefits and risks
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F62156489%3A43410%2F25%3A43927134" target="_blank" >RIV/62156489:43410/25:43927134 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-025-01547-3" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-025-01547-3</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41893-025-01547-3" target="_blank" >10.1038/s41893-025-01547-3</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Forest biodiversity and structure modulate human health benefits and risks
Original language description
The benefits and risks of forests to human health are widely recognized. Yet, variation across forest types and their ecological characteristics driving health effects remain underexplored. Based on a continental-scale, interdisciplinary empirical database from 164 European forest stands, we constructed a Bayesian Belief Network to quantify seven causal pathways relating distinct forest types to physical and mental health. These forest-health pathways included mental well-being via visual or auditory stimuli, thermal comfort, polyphenol content of medicinal plants, mushrooms and nutrition, air quality, and ticks and Lyme disease. Results show that forests consistently provide net health benefits regardless of their ecological characteristics. Forest canopy density and tree species diversity emerge as key drivers, but their effect size and directionality are strongly pathway-dependent. Changes in forest canopy density can generate trade-offs. For example, forests optimized for heat buffering and air pollution mitigation may compromise medicinal plant yield and enhance Lyme disease prevalence. Tree diversity effects were weaker but more uniformly positive. Therefore, forest management should account for such trade-offs to tailor forest biodiversity and functioning to local public health priorities.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
10618 - Ecology
Result continuities
Project
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Continuities
I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace
Others
Publication year
2025
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Nature Sustainability
ISSN
2398-9629
e-ISSN
2398-9629
Volume of the periodical
8
Issue of the periodical within the volume
5
Country of publishing house
GB - UNITED KINGDOM
Number of pages
13
Pages from-to
485-497
UT code for WoS article
001490564600001
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-105005533244