Watching birds makes us happier.
If we analyze most of the latest published studies on the benefits of nature in humans , we will see that in general they refer to our local environments.
We have recently been able to read that living near the so-called blue zones is beneficial for our health, that having access to parks or green spaces close to home reduces cardiovascular diseases and stops pollution, as well as that walking about 120 minutes a week in a green environment brings us well-being and health . It was confirmed by a study by Scientific Reports in June 2019, which we echoed in Traveler.es.
Although there was no study to confirm that globally, nature brings us happiness . And that is what the latest study of Ecological Economics in which different organizations and universities in Europe have participated, such as the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research, the University of Kiel or the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center, among others.
The study published in November 2020 wanted to corroborate how nature influences human well-being in different ways and at a continental level . "To do this, we relate socioeconomic data from more than 26,000 European citizens in 26 countries with macroecological data on the diversity of species and characteristics of nature in Europe," they underline in the study.
They also referenced earlier studies, such as one recently published that showed the richness of fauna and flora species is positively related to the subjective well-being of residents in the state of Victoria, Australia. "Greater plant species richness is also positively associated with people's ability to recover from stress," they add.
So the goal of the analysis The importance of species diversity for human well-being in Europe was to examine the relationship between species diversity and life satisfaction at a continental level. “Species diversity is measured as the species richness of birds, mammals (including megafauna) and trees . Our results show that bird species richness is positively associated with life satisfaction in Europe . We found a relatively strong relationship, indicating that the effect of bird species richness on life satisfaction may be of similar magnitude to that of income.
Therefore, they suggest that political and social decision-making must consider the fundamental role of species diversity for human well-being . "Based on these results, this study argues that management actions for the protection of birds and the landscapes that support them would benefit humans."
And in this sense, from the organization Bird Life SEO support the results. "All aspects of nature facilitate well-being for people. A large proportion of the world's population turns to nature in their free time to enjoy life, many of them even spend time paying special attention to birds, as they the activity is pleasant," Juan Carlos del Moral, Coordinator of the SEO/BirdLife Citizen Science Area, told Traveler.es.
From his website, in addition, they provide us with a guide with which to put observation into practice, because many of us are inexperienced in that. They also have a bird identifier, created jointly with the Government of Spain and the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology in which you can identify the birds you find.
The recommendation: "It is enough to walk along paths and tracks already open for the transit of people through any part of the field and maintain silence or activities that do not alter the normal state of the environment."
This 2021, in addition, the bird of the year selected by SEO BirdLife is the common swift; this one, at least, will be easy to recognize now that we know it. The only problem is that like the sparrow, the swift is threatened in urban areas, more colonized by other types of birds such as wood pigeons, magpies and parrots.
With the arrival of spring It will be a good time to practice observation and show us the number of benefits it can bring us, especially to reduce the stress and uncertainty of these times of pandemic. You dare?