4.1.

4- The importance of healthy outdoor

environments
for individual
p hy s i c a l a n d
emotional
wellbeing, and
for the future
o f s o c i e t y.
From the Study Design:
 Key Knowledge:
the importance of healthy outdoor environments for individual
physical and emotional wellbeing, and for the future society.

 Key Skills: analyse the importance of healthy outdoor

environments for individuals and society.
Introduction
 With 89% of Australians living in urban areas,
connections to outdoor environments are not
always obvious.
 From the products that we use, to the venues
that we choose to explore, healthy outdoor
environments are paramount to our health and
survival.
 If outdoor environments are not healthy, our
experiences and our existence are
compromised.
Healthy O.E’s are important for:
For Individuals:
 Aesthetic value
 Recreation and adventure
 Physical and emotional wellbeing
 Intrinsic value
For Society:
 Maintenance of environmental
stability
 Education
 Economic value
 Future food and medicinal sources
 Scientific research
The importance of healthy
outdoor environments for
individuals
Aesthetic value
 A judgement of value based on the appearance of
an object and the emotional responses it causes.
 Outdoor environments provide us with an amazing
collection of sights.
 Many artists have derived inspiration from the
aesthetic value of outdoor environments.
 If you have ever been in an outdoor environment and
taken a photo, or described an area to someone, you
have been affected by the aesthetic value of the
outdoor environment. Aesthetic value refers to its
ability to inspire and motivate creativity.

 Listen to the lyrics to ‘The Mother’ by Xavier Rudd

Physical and emotional
wellbeing
 Studies show that access to nature plays a vital role in
human health –
Parks Victoria: Healthy Parks Healthy People
Recreation and adventure
 People need places where they can remove
themselves from the pressures of their everyday
lives.
 Outdoor environments provide opportunities to
take positive risk taking behaviours, allowing for
challenge, self-discovery and growth.
 The benefit of these activities can be employment in
fields such as ecotourism, environmental
management and interpretation.
 The flow on effect can be seen in manufacturing and
service industries who supply experiences and
equipment for these activities.
Intrinsic value
 Intrinsic value = something that is prized for what it is,
not what it can provide.

 It is important that we realise and acknowledge

that outdoor environments exist of their own
accord and have a value in their own right, that of
which is not dependent on human use or the
relationship with the environment.

 Many people are happy just knowing that

wilderness areas exist.
The importance of healthy
outdoor environments for society
Maintenance of
environmental stability
 Biodiversity is an essential element of the sustainability of human
societies and outdoor environments. There are four main reasons
for maintaining biodiversity:
 Moral: All species have the right to exist, humans must respect
this.
 Aesthetic: Species reduction reduces the richness of the human
experience. The experience humans have may be based on the
species beauty, symbolic value or intrinsic interest. (E.g. seeing
whales when out on a boat)
 Economic: Plants, animals and micro-organisms are
essential sources of food, medicines and renewable
resources.
 Ecological: Other species provide life support systems
on our planet, maintain the atmosphere, influence the
climate, generate and recycle essential nutrients within
the topsoil, dispose wastes, control pests and diseases,
pollinate crops and provide a genetic store which we
may benefit from in the future.
Education
 Outdoor environments provide a medium for education. This
may take the form of formal school excursions, field trips
undertaken by naturalists, or a personal trip to a favourite
venue.

 Education within outdoor environments is important because

people value places that they have visited. They learn about
historical, geographical, scientific and cultural perspectives.

 The success of ecotourism, documentaries, and cultural tourism

reflects community interest in ongoing education about our
world and outdoor environments.

 The success of visitor centre’s is another example of peoples

desire to learn more about the environment. (ie: Brambuk in
the Grampians)
Economic value
 Outdoor environments have economic value as
resources, providing for human needs.
 Timber, plants, animals, rocks and minerals are all
resources, used for their pharmaceutical and other
medicinal properties (e.g. eucalyptus oil, tea tree oil
and kelp).
 They are a source of clean water for urban areas,
electricity generation (hydro, tidal), and for tourism.
 Pg.262 textbook, economic value of outdoor
environments.
Future food and medicinal
sources
 As food becomes inevitably scarce, in the
context of an ever-expanding population,
alternatives are essential.
 An example of recent sources has been deep
sea fishing, as other fish supplies have become
exhausted.
 Compounds in rainforest plants are used to
treat a broad range of conditions/diseases, yet
only 1% have been tested.
Scientific research
 Natural sciences (biology, chemistry, physics and
astronomy), through scientific research, have
provided society with an ever-developing
understanding of outdoor environments.
 Research provide us with a reference point to monitor
and assess that changes that are occurring in outdoor
environments, both naturally and due to human
processes.
 E.g. camera traps to monitor the species found in an
area or weed surveying in the alps to determine their
spread and affect.