Short description

Flows of ecosystem services connect people and nature across regions. However, the consequences of such flows for health only start to be identified. For example, there is quite solid evidence of the contribution of trade to health via the transport of medicinal plants, food and fibres. In turn, species migration can have some positive effects on mental health, via recreational opportunities from the observation of migratory species. On the other hand, species dispersal increase the transmission of vector-borne diseases, such as those carried by mosquitoes. Passive biophysical flows are also a common source of disease or “dis-services”, such as allergies derived from pollen transported by air currents or invasive species introduced through floods. Similarly, human displacements for nature tourism such as recreational boating across lakes can also become a source of dispersal for invasive species, while positively contributing to mental health and wellbeing. In this context of increasing telecoupled effects of ecosystem service flows on health, we need to understand the characteristics of both sending and receiving systems to prevent undesired effects on health. In particular, it is key to identify the mechanisms by which ecosystem service flows have an effect on health, the different social actors involved in each flow, and the ability of these actors to use and manage these services. In this way, we can identify potential imbalances and prevent inequalities derived from the effects of telecoupled ecosystem services on health. TeleHEALTH will review the existing evidence regarding the linkages between ecosystem services telecoupling and health and how that relates to inequalities. As projects outputs, TeleHEALTH will show how to operationalize the telecoupling framework to identify social inequalities regarding health and some examples of its application.