FuFo

Natural climatic changes and human influences are increasingly leading to the emergence of new types of forest ecosystems, whose biodiversity differs in some cases significantly from that of earlier forest systems. These ecological changes are associated with a wide range of potential impacts on human health, such as the increasing prevalence of ticks and tick-borne diseases like early summer meningoencephalitis (ESME).

The project “Health Perceptions and Behavioral Responses to Changing Forest Ecosystems: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study with Citizens and Primary Care Physicians” is being conducted as part of the Cluster of Excellence (FuFo) and investigates how people perceive health risks and potential health benefits associated with changing forest ecosystems. To this end, medical and epidemiological data are combined with the subjective perspectives and experiences of citizens and primary care physicians. The study focuses in particular on how individual risk perceptions and assessment processes influence attitudes toward forested areas as well as behavior related to time spent in the forest.