Longitudinal data analyses reveal a positive effect of bird diversity on human mental health

A growing body of research has focused on the connection between biodiversity and human mental health, but many studies lack longitudinal data, creating problems due to endogeneity. This study stands out by utilizing a newly compiled panel dataset covering the time period between 2015-2019 to investigate the impact of bird diversity exposure on mental health and well-being. By analysing data from around 200,000 individuals from the German National Cohort Health Study and using a unique bird diversity indicator based on citizen-science data, this study found that a greater likelihood of encountering many different bird species in a person's area of residence had a significant positive effect on mental health and well-being. In addition, the study examined how different sensory abilities play a role in this relationship. These findings have national-level implications for biodiversity conservation and public health policy decisions, as it may be the first to offer evidence of the positive impact of bird diversity on human mental well-being while minimizing issues such as omitted variable bias.