BEhealthy - Interacting effects of forest management, biodiversity and climatic events on human health

• Applicants: Professorin Dr. Aletta Bonn; Professor Dr. Michael Scherer-Lorenzen; Professorin Dr. Christiane Werner
• Subject Area: Ecology and Biodiversity of Plants and Ecosystems
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 569059285

There is increasing evidence that contact with nature has significant implications for human health, resulting in both positive and negative outcomes. Research indicates that exposure to forests can enhance thermal comfort as well as physical and mental health, suggesting that the structural characteristics and species diversity of forests play a crucial role in these benefits. Key drivers of these effects include microclimatic buffering, biogenic volatile organic compound (phytoncide) concentrations in the air, and various visual, acoustic, and olfactory stimuli. However, the complex interactions between forest management, biodiversity, and health outcomes remain poorly understood. In the BEhealthy project, we aim to quantify the effects of changes in forest management intensity, as well as the resulting alterations in forest structure and biodiversity, on human physical and mental health, leveraging both extensive data from previous projects and new data acquisition. We will also elucidate the trade-offs or co-benefits between different management-driven characteristics of forests and health outcomes. Organized into four work packages, BEhealthy will assess the microclimatic characteristics of forests relevant to the thermal comfort of forest workers and visitors, in order to quantify the thermal buffering capacity of forests (WP1). Additionally, we will measure phytoncide concentrations and their composition (chemodiversity) in forest air to determine seasonal patterns of phytoncide abundance and to characterize the effects of climate extremes (e.g., heat waves) on chemodiversity (WP2). In WP3, we will evaluate the mental health effects associated with forest management intensity, structure, and tree diversity, examining seasonal variations in biodiversity-mental health connections and quantifying the roles of different human senses - particularly visual, acoustic, and olfactory - in these associations. In the synthesis WP4, we will elucidate the mechanisms by which forest management and characteristics influence health outcomes, distinguishing between direct and indirect effects on ecosystem functions and psychophysiological health outcomes. BEhealthy will not only expand the scientific scope of the Biodiversity Exploratories by providing essential knowledge about ecosystem processes relevant to human health and well-being, as well as analyzing nature-human health interactions, but it will also strengthen the emerging research area of Social Ecology within the Biodiversity Exploratories, thereby enhancing its societal relevance.

• DFG Programme: Infrastructure Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1374: Biodiversity Exploratories
• International Connection: Belgium, United Kingdom
• Cooperation Partners: Professor Dr. Pieter De Frenne; Dr. Melissa Marselle