Urban green areas offer mental health benefits

Urban green spaces offer great benefits to physical and mental health, helping immensely to improve the population's quality of life. A study published in 2019 in the journal Health & Place revealed that adolescents who frequent green spaces, such as parks and squares, are 36% less likely to have mental health problems. The team from the University of California, in the United States, also found that these benefits extend to seniors over 65 years of age.

The city of Rio has 14 Municipal Natural Parks. The Department of the Environment warns about the responsible use of these spaces, since activities that generate crowds or disregard life protection measures, widely publicized by the Municipal Department of Health, are not permitted.

Check out the golden rules to ensure safety when visiting the parks – which are open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 6 am to 17 pm:

– Wash your hands with water and liquid soap, preferably, or sanitize with 70% alcohol;
– Use of a face mask in any environment of collective or shared use;
– Social distancing of two metres or, where two metres is not feasible, distancing of one metre with risk mitigation;
– Picnics will be permitted with groups of up to six people who live in the same household, respecting a distance of two meters between each group;
– Control of access to closed spaces, such as visitor centers, with temperature measurement.

Municipal Natural Parks of the City

1 – Darke de Mattos Municipal National Park (Paquetá)
2 – Chacrinha State Park (Copacabana)
3 – Grajaú State Park (Grajaú)
4 – Catacumba Municipal Natural Park (Lagoon)
5 – Two Brothers Cliff Municipal Natural Park (Leblon)
6 – José Guilherme Merquior Municipal Natural Park (Lagoon)
7 – Municipal Natural Park of the City (Gávea)
8 – Marapendi Municipal Natural Park (Bandeirantes Recreation Area)
9 – Barra Forest Municipal Natural Park (Barra da Tijuca)
10 – Chico Mendes Municipal Natural Park (Bandeirantes Recreation Area)
11 – Municipal Natural Park of the Parish (Anil)
12 – Prainha Municipal Natural Park (Bandeirantes Recreation Area)
13 – Grumari Municipal Natural Park (Bandeirantes Recreation Area)
14 – Mendanha Municipal Natural Park (Bangu)

Category:

• Environment and Climate
• News

April 19th 2021

Appointments: Natural parks Rio de Janeiro City Hall Mental Health Secretary of the Environment visit