WEBINAR: The role of urban forests in improving community resilience and reducing the harmful impact of COVID-19

8 September 20200

There is increasing recognition of the important contribution of trees, parks, gardens, and other natural settings to public health and community welfare. By improving air quality, promoting physical activity, reducing mental stress and enhancing the immune system, trees and green space have the potential to help address problems ‘upstream’, through prevention – a more efficient approach than simply dealing with the ‘downstream’ consequences of ill health.
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Bonn´s urban forest: Rediscovering an interest in an old friend

2 September 20200

Photo by Jakob Derks (EFI)

During the Coronavirus lockdown period in Bonn (Germany), when visiting the local urban forests and green spaces, we quickly realised that the number of newcomers to urban green spaces and in urban forests significantly increased because people found themselves restricted from meeting others and moving freely.

Blog

Finding solace, resilience and connection in nature during the pandemic

30 July 20200

As cities continue to grow and multiply, we get more disconnected from nature and become less aware of the impact our modern lifestyles have on the environment. Conversely, experiencing nature in our busy urban lives provides a powerful way to restore our sense of community, well-being, and stewardship for a healthy planet. Looking at the ways in which nature has appeared to us during the COVID-19 pandemic, whether in parks, forests or other green spaces, helps us gain important insights into this.

Blog

Green spaces & urban forests during the COVID-19 pandemic

23 July 20200

In the last few months, the COVID-19 pandemic has spread all across the world and is still dominating the headlines at this time. Notwithstanding global and regional differences, the basic elements of how we live have radically changed due to government prevention policies, the fear of contracting the virus and the actual spread of the disease. In this context, at CLEARING HOUSE, we realised that it was not possible to carry on our work and research as if nothing was happening.

Blog

Classes and parks during COVID-19

2 July 20200

April 15 in Brussels, I leave my confinement to record a radio report.

My guest for today is a teacher who describes how he helps his 10-year-old pupils deal with the confinement imposed upon them. He maintains an almost daily link with his pupils from underprivileged backgrounds. Mental health, learning, family disharmony and the need for social contact are all destabilizing factors for these children.

Blog

Parks for kings, parks for cars, parks for people

24 June 20200

In aerial pictures of the Brussels region, Belgium, two large green areas stand out: the Royal Domain of Laeken, situated in northern industrial suburbs of Brussels, and the Bois de la Cambre, in the south, connecting the Sonian Forest to the city.

Blog

Why not hold more classes outdoors?

17 June 20200

This article is an English translation of the original version in Catalan.

The European project CLEARING HOUSE has launched a survey of primary and secondary school teachers throughout Catalonia to discover whether or not they hold classes outdoors, what they feel the drawbacks or obstacles are to doing so, and in what subject areas they bring up urban green spaces.

Blog

Ode to my park in Corona-times

10 June 20200

Your aloft trees, my walls

Their shiny leaves, my roof

The birds sing and the squirrel calls

“Here it is, corona-proof”

Blog

Surge in forests visitors after COVID-19

3 June 20200

This article is an English translation of the original version in German.

“Under COVID-19, visitor numbers have experienced an unprecedented boom. The Kottenforst was already a popular forest area before, over the year we counted an average of 290 passers-by per day. But in March and April, the number increased by a factor of 2.4,” says researcher Jakob Derks of the European Forest Institute (EFI), impressed by the results at an open-air press conference held in the Kottenforst on 14 May 2020.