The health and wellbeing benefits of natural environments, including green and blue spaces, are widely recognised. Our understanding of the health benefits and value of blue spaces remains limited, as data often combine them with green and other open spaces. This highlights a critical gap in understanding the unique contributions, use, and economic value of blue spaces, as well as the lack of an established method to assess these benefits in the Scotland and the UK. Our project addresses this policy and methodological challenge by examining usage patterns and quantifying the different health benefits of blue spaces within the FORTH2O region, offering insights into their restorative potential and opportunities for cost savings and site improvements for local authorities and the health and care system. Applying the methodology in the FORTH2O region, covering eight local authorities and nearly 1.6 million people across diverse socioeconomic contexts, allows us to use the approach at scale and with a representative population.
The Worth of Water: Valuing the Health and Wellbeing Benefits of Blue Spaces in the Forth Water Basin
Led by Greenspace Scotland with key partners from Public Health Scotland and the University of Aberdeen
