4.1.4 The importance of healthy outdoor environments for individual physical and emotional wellbeing, and for the future of society

Importance for individuals Healthy outdoor environments are important because they allow individuals to participate in pursuits that contribute to their mental health and general physical and social well being. Healthy outdoor environments serve three key functions in that they provide individuals with places for recreation and adventure, places for inspiration and places for education.

Recreation and Adventure We need places for recreation, and things to challenge our senses. Grampians National Park is a healthy outdoor environment that provides opportunities for many different types of recreation from passive (painting, bird watching) to active and challenging (rock climbing, mountain bike riding). These environments provide opportunities for individuals to escape the pressures of everyday life. Individuals need healthy outdoor environments as a place to undertake challenging activities and achieve goals through positive risk-taking behaviours. Social activities such as picnics, camping, bushwalking and skiing all contribute to individual development and rely on healthy outdoor environments for their sustainability. A flow on effect to society of these activities is the creation of employment in a number of industries.

Healthy Natural environments are important to individuals for recreation and adventure. They provide people with a place to exercise and to pursue physical challenges away from the stresses of everyday life. I am able to visit places such as Grampians NP and participating in activities such as camping and bushwalking. These ensure that I am active and help me to be healthy. Identify, Explain, Relate, Example

Inspiration and Creativity Artists, musicians and writers have all interacted with our outdoor environments and used them for inspiration. Examples are Banjo Patterson, Midnight Oil, Yothu Yindi and artists such as Fredrick McCubbin and Tom Roberts. All these people used their experiences in outdoor environments to produce works that have affected our lives in some way. Even visiting an outdoor environment personally and taking a photograph affects each of us in some way. If you use that photograph of the environment and display it for others to see through , school album or a Facebook post then you have been inspired in a creative way by the outdoor environment.

Example Healthy natural environments provide me with the opportunity to gain inspiration and creativity. They provide me with the opportunity to develop skills in hobbies that I have, such as photography. Identify, Explain, Relate, Example

Education Many opportunities exist for individuals to use outdoor environments for education. These can occur directly through school or group trips that may have a specific study goal or through personal development that occurs from undertaking recreational activities in outdoor environments. People want to learn about outdoor environments. This is reflected in the increase in participation in school subjects like Outdoor and Environmental studies and Environmental Science. National Park operators are successfully improving visitor education centres due to demand from the public. They also operate school specific education programs.

Identify, Explain, Relate, Example They provide me with interesting places to holiday/visit, they provide me with the opportunity to learn about other cultures and natural environments. Whilst at Organ Pipes participated in a guided tour around the National Park, this provided me with the opportunity to learn about aboriginal culture and customs and how they have lived as part of the natural environment.

Other examples R & R Healthy Natural environments provide me with a place to rest and relax. I can escape to a place of solitude and use this to refresh my mind. Cape Conran is a place that I visit to get some R&R, I am able to rest and relax which helps with my emotional well being. Provision of food (Use carefully) Healthy natural environments provide the opportunity to grow and harvest food. I have used the natural environment develop my own veggie garden. I have planted a diverse range of veggies and herbs to use in my cooking.

Importance for society Having healthy outdoor environments is crucial to maintaining human society in the future. The Earth’s population relies on our outdoor environments for the production of resources. Food, clothing and shelter are the basic needs of life and the earth is facing increasing pressure as populations around the world strive to meet these needs. The rapidly growing population of the earth and the effects of that such as land clearing for food production, reclaiming wetlands for industrial and residential development and mining and logging for resources have caused habitat loss and extinction of many species of flora and fauna. It is vital that healthy environments are kept to ensure that we are able to meet the needs of future generations The main factors that healthy environments are important for individuals are Resource, Intrinsic Values, Biodiversity and Scientific Research

Resource Provides clean water – Most of Victoria’s drinking water comes from catchment areas in the forest regions. These outdoor environments are important to trap and filter the water into the river systems free from silt and other matter. Provides timber – Timber is an important resource for construction and our forests must remain healthy to be able to provide timber for future generations. Provides clean food – Soils must remain free from pollution and problems of salinity to be able to provide our food in a sustainable manner.

Resource Provides minerals – Minerals are an important resource for the economy but mining must be done in a way that does not damage the rest of the environment. Provides electricity – Hydro electricity can only come from the outdoor environment and relies on it being healthy. Provides tourism – Tourism as an industry relies on healthy outdoor environments. National Parks, clean beaches, and quiet peaceful forest areas for retreats and Eco-resorts are examples of this.

Example Natural environments are able to be used to provide jobs to people (such as those that work at Mount Hotham), as well as provide opportunity through economic growth for a range of business (holiday homes, business etc.). They can also be used to make money to provide funds to manage natural environments.

Example 2 Natural environments provide us with a vast array of resources that we need for our survival and well being. We are able to obtain building materials, water, air; as well as materials for clothing and food supplies.

Intrinsic Values While we tend to view environments for what they can offer in terms of resources environments are unique and have existed for millions of years without human interactions. They exist of their own accord and are important to society for these intrinsic values. The creation of National Parks and World Heritage listing of specific areas acknowledges this. The intrinsic values recognize that it is important for outdoor environments to exist for future generations and for the benefit of the flora and fauna that make up these areas.

Examples The health of natural environment is important so we can ensure that all species have the opportunity to survive. This also ensure that food webs are kept intact and that other flow on effects don’t occur Healthy natural environments are essential components in the water cycle and the carbon cycle. For example, forested slopes are important in water catchment areas, and vegetation cover generally prevents soil erosion. Plants also consume carbon dioxide and release oxygen which is important for animals, including humans.

Biodiversity Biodiversity is necessary to ensure the sustainability of our society. Biodiversity ensures a diverse range of species and ecosystems are available to meet all the needs of society. Biodiversity is reliant on healthy outdoor environments. Outdoor environments ensure that biodiversity can be preserved outside human made environments that can result in a loss of biodiversity.

Scientific research Provides a site for us to monitor the changes in our environments – Climate change, salinity, species loss and effects of logging are a few things that our environment can be used to monitor. We may find future medicinal sources that may cure diseases Greater understanding of natural medicines and new food sources – For example, Tea Tree oil has been found to have many health benefits. Example - Natural environments are the original source of all human foods. As some foods become scarce the environment is further explored for alternatives (e.g. deep sea fishing has developed as other fish supplies have become exhausted).