The world’s oldest continuously surviving tropical rainforest, located in the Australian Wet Tropics region, is being restored by traditional custodians to support the physical, mental, and spiritual health of its inhabitants. Andrew Solomon, an Eastern Kuku Yalanji man from northern Queensland, believes that humans are one with the planet. “Country defines us,” he says. “It gives us our lore and defines who we are as tribal people. All the minerals are in us and we have become genetically connected to our country.” Solomon’s experience of feeling Mother Nature’s energy while hunting has instilled in him the belief that nature has the power to heal and transform people.
Forests have been linked to a range of health benefits, including reducing depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems. Prof. Peter Valentine, who has worked in the Wet Tropics for the past 50 years, believes that forests have utilitarian benefits, including improving physical health and providing clean air, which promotes better oxygenation. Moreover, engaging with forests requires individuals to venture beyond their comfort zones, which can stimulate both their muscles and their brains, triggering feelings of vitality and upliftment.
Despite the known benefits of green spaces, the world is continuing to experience a mental health crisis. The World Health Organisation estimates that one in four people worldwide will suffer some form of mental illness in their lifetime, while suicide accounts for 700,000 deaths annually, compared to 608,000 from malaria. According to a 1939 Chicago study, urbanization increases stress levels, leading to mental health disorders such as depression and schizophrenia. Evidence suggests that being in green spaces lowers stress, which can reduce mental health problems.
Solomon believes that non-indigenous people fear rainforests due to their disengagement from nature, resulting in a culture where we are dominated by urban experiences and virtual realities. He believes that we need to experience forests as he has, embracing diversity of life and seeing forests as home. By doing so, forests can uplift people from depression and bring them to a more vibrant experience of life. The forests can become music for the soul
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