Public Health and Land Cover in the UK

21 March 2016, Met Office, Exeter

Background

Land cover (the physical characteristics of the land surface, including natural, agricultural and urban environments), and the activities taking place on the land, can influence public health in a wide variety of ways. These include i) direct effects on human physiology, such as heat stress and air pollution effects exacerbated by urban heat islands, or allergic rhinitis related to emissions of allergenic pollen; ii) indirect effects, such as the role of habitats for vectors that carry vector-borne diseases; and iii) influences on well-being, such as the psychological benefits of greenspace. Improved understanding of the relationships between public health and land cover will help inform both public health and land cover experts on the appropriate policies and actions by which land cover may be utilised to improve public health.

Audience

The workshop focuses on bringing together Public Health policymakers, researchers and practitioners in Public Health England and related agencies with research experts in public health and land cover.

Overarching aim

Improve application of research on land cover and public health to useful public health outcomes in the UK.

Aims of workshop:

Increase engagement/collaboration between UK public health and land cover experts
Identify key relationships between public health and land cover
Identify current and future potential capabilities of land cover datasets/information to inform public health research
Identify current public health and land cover activities and key research gaps
Define priority projects and valuation activities (both national and local), and potential funding to support these