IntroductionAlpine woody plants are deeply embedded in traditional healthcare systems across the Southern European Alps, where multiple organs—including leaves, bark, fruits, buds, and flowers—are used to manage respiratory, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, dermatological, metabolic, cardiovascular, and urogenital disorders. This systematic review synthesizes ethnopharmacological uses, evaluates phytochemical and pharmacological evidence, and contextualizes the ecosystem functions of woody plant species native to the European Alps.MethodsFollowing PRISMA guidelines, Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed were systematically searched for peer-reviewed studies published up to May 2025. Data from 281 eligible sources were harmonized, covering 54 woody species (28 trees, 26 shrubs; 25 families). Extracted variables included ecological distribution, harvested organs, phytochemical classes, and experimentally validated bioactivities. Therapeutic indications were mapped using the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC-2).ResultsPhytochemical profiles were predominantly characterized by phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, tannins, terpenoids, alkaloids, and saponins. These compounds underpin convergent anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antidiabetic, vasoprotective, and cytotoxic activities demonstrated in vitro and in vivo. Beyond medicinal relevance, the same species contribute to soil stabilization, hydrological regulation, carbon sequestration, and the preservation of biocultural landscapes. However, climate-driven range shifts, land-use intensification, commercial overharvesting, and limited pharmacokinetic and toxicological data constrain both sustainability and clinical translation.DiscussionHigh-priority taxa and critical knowledge gaps were identified. An integrated research framework is proposed, combining standardized green extraction technologies, high-resolution metabolomics, longitudinal ecological monitoring, participatory documentation of traditional knowledge, and equitable benefit-sharing mechanisms. Such integration is necessary to advance evidence-based phytotherapy while ensuring sustainable stewardship of Alpine woody ecosystems.

Aim Climate change poses a global threat to forest ecosystems. However, its effects are usually examined independently of local factors, assuming that functionally diverse forest habitat types within a single biome will react similarly. Here we evaluated how temperature influences the taxonomic and functional diversity of tree and shrub guilds, accounting for the regulatory effects of local factors across forest habitat types. Location Italy. Time Period From 1970 to 2020.Major Taxa Studied Trees and shrubs. Methods We integrated > 5000 forest vegetation plots from a national databases with data on seven functional traits. We fitted regression models to quantify the individual and interaction effects of temperature, solar radiation (a proxy for topography), and soil moisture on the taxonomic and functional diversity of tree and shrub guilds across four main forest habitat types. Results Temperature gradients similarly affected the taxonomic and functional diversity of both tree and shrub guilds, although with a stronger magnitude for trees. Topographic solar radiation regulated mainly the temperature-diversity relationship in trees, with a stronger positive effect on cold forest habitats compared to warm ones. Soil moisture exerted a stronger control on shrub guilds, especially in cold forest habitats, but with positive and negative effects on taxonomic and functional diversity, respectively. Assuming climate-diversity responses will hold under climate change, projections to 2100 suggest that the diversity of warm forest habitats might reduce, possibly due to intensification of summer drought stress, while the diversity of cold forest habitats might increase as winter frost stress lessens. Main Conclusion Temperature is a strong biodiversity determinant. Still, projections should account for local regulatory mechanisms and consider that grouping different forest habitat types into a broad category can obscure critical diversity responses. The distinct responses of forest habitat types to topography-mediated climate conditions suggest the need for targeted adaptive management strategies.

Aim Do multiple environmental conditions filter plant communities in non-native plantations similarly to the natural forests? Do upper forest layers act as additional filters on understory plant diversity? How do multiple environmental conditions and forest structure affect rewilding?Location Trentino region (Italy).Methods Using a stratified random sampling design approach encompassing different elevations and aspects in non-native old-established black pine plantations of the eastern European Alps, we sampled 55 plots over 6200 km2 in which we collected data on abiotic conditions and species cover for each forest layer (tree, shrub, herb), and forest regeneration (i.e., woody juvenile species). We adopted structural equation models (SEMs) to investigate the causal relationships between multiple environmental conditions and forest layer interactions on alpha and beta plant diversity. Furthermore, we ran redundancy analysis (RDA) to test for the effect of multiple environmental conditions and forest structural parameters on the ecology of the herbaceous communities.Results High- and low-elevation sites had reduced alpha diversity likely because of frost and drought climatic constraints. Shaded conditions due to tree canopy cover directly reduced alpha shrub diversity, and indirectly the herb diversity. Beta diversity of each layer was mainly influenced by slope and elevation. The composition of trees set off a cascading effect, shaping shrub communities and, in turn, the herbaceous and juvenile layers below.Conclusions Non-native old-established plantations close to the native range of black pine showed high diversity coupled with scarce regeneration. Our insights are crucial for understanding the rewilding of old-established plantation forests. Future plantation programs should consider both the multiple spatial scales of the environmental conditions of the sites and the interaction among vegetation layers to achieve effective rewilding.

Severe wildfires in forest ecosystems promote soil erosion and the loss of fertile soil as a scarce natural resource. Our objective was to quantify post-fire ecosystem response in terms of soil accumulation and seed availability through redistribution. Within our study area in Northern Patagonia, Argentina, we chose three study sites at which forest fire events occurred in different years, namely 1 year post-fire (2022), 2 years post-fire (2021), and 8 years post-fire (2015). At each of the sites, we recorded both burned and control slope transects. Along these transects, three accumulation zones were differentiated, at each zone the amount of accumulated soil material as well as the number of seeds in it were determined. We observed significant amounts of accumulated soil material along the slopes with the highest annual rates in the first year after the forest fire. The mean accumulated soil material (± standard deviation) over all slope accumulation zones increased from 9.5 ± 2.6, 15.9 ± 4.6 to 42.9 ± 14.0 kg*m−2, at the 1 year-old, 2 years-old, and 8 years-old forest fires sites. Despite the generally high spatio-temporal variability of seed dispersal, the transects at the burned forest sites show significantly lower numbers of seeds than control transects. In the investigated burned forest sites, the total number of seeds of the four tree species found was 64, 250, and 252 seeds*m−2 in the 1 year-old, 2 years-old, and 8 years-old site, respectively. In general, the more recent fire events had lower number of seeds, which increased with accumulated soil material and time. We also observed a greater number of shrub seeds in the burned sites, but these did not show a pattern with time since the wildfire events. Among the 14 species recorded, the tree Austrocedrus chilensis and the shrub Aristotelia chilensis emerge as key players in post-fire recovery, with the highest number of seeds at all study locations. Forest restoration after disturbance is a global challenge, especially in the context of large-scale forest fires. Understanding the risk of soil redistribution and seed availability will assist restoration efforts and ecosystem management.

Nature has been pivotal in psychiatric care since the establishment of asylums, but its role within psychiatric institutions over time, including landscape design, utilisation, and therapeutic impact, has received limited attention. This study addresses this gap through a case study of a psychiatric clinic in G & uuml;tersloh, Germany. Drawing on scientific literature, historical analyses, and archival material, we trace the transformation of the clinic's landscape from its planning in 1904 to the present day. We examine its relationship with treatment paradigms, socio-political influences, and evolving theories of environmental mental health. The analysis identifies five overlapping phases in the development: (1) Nature as Therapy, when rural locations and gardens were viewed as inherently therapeutic; (2) Work in Nature, a shift to agricultural work therapy which, under National Socialism, became distorted into forced labour; (3) Therapy Indoors, a post-war transition toward occupational and group therapies; (4) Therapy in the Individual Body, reflecting the rise of pharmacology and psychotherapy that shifted the locus of therapy and control to the patient's body; and (5) Therapy in the Community, outpatient care expanded in the decades following the "Psychiatry Enquete". Despite these shifts, research on current patient feedback highlights the continued value of greenspaces, aligning with the growing evidence of health-promoting effects of nature. By synthesising historical insights with current evidence, this research contributes to interdisciplinary understanding and provides insights for nature's integration into future psychiatric care. Participatory approaches and multifunctionality are essential to address the varied needs of psychiatric patients and maximise nature's therapeutic potential.

Contact with nature can have a significant influence on human physical and mental health and wellbeing. As such, various concepts and theories as well as therapeutic approaches have been developed. The term “nature,” however, covers a broad range of size and scales, ranging from individuals or small groups of animals or plants, certain ecosystems toward landscapes. The purpose of this paper is to differentiate concepts, theories, and therapy forms according to the scales of nature. We base our conceptional approach on the biological/ecological scales of species/individuals, ecosystems/land-use types, and landscapes. Based on a review, we differentiate the current state of the utilization of greenspace exposure measurements and measures assessing mental health according to these scales. We argue that a clear differentiation of biological and ecological scales provides a better understanding of the impact of nature with its components, characteristics, and dynamics on human health and wellbeing. Our paper also supports further inter- and transdisciplinary research as well as methodological approaches with regard to environment and health, such as environmental public health.

Traditional agroforestry systems (TAFs) in Europe represent an interface between agriculture and biodiversity conservation, being able to offer sustainable production while supporting diverse ecosystems often with unique species assemblages. This systematic review synthesises research on TAFs conducted between 1992 and 2024 using the PRISMA methodology. We analysed 232 studies to assess TAFs types, their distribution, biodiversity significance, and ecosystem services’ contributions across Europe. The findings highlight regional variations, with dehesa/montado systems dominating Southern Europe and traditional orchards and wood pastures being prevalent in Central and Eastern Europe. Our review gives evidence that TAFs provide multifaceted ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration, soil fertility enhancement, water regulation, and cultural heritage preservation. Additionally, TAFs harbour a rich biodiversity, particularly among vascular plants, birds, and insects, whose ecological roles are pivotal to the ecological functioning of these systems. Despite their significance, studies indicate that a decline in economic viability and changing land-use patterns have threatened the future of TAFs. This review emphasises the need for innovative management practices that integrate traditional knowledge, alongside political and public support, to ensure the long-term conservation and restoration of TAFs in Europe.

Aims: To explore the relationship between plant communities and key environmental drivers in the Andes of northwest Patagonia, Argentina, and to evaluate the applicability of traditional phytosociological definitions to this region. Methods: We conducted 141 vegetation samples using a stratified systematic sampling design. This was done along two steep gradients of aridity and temperature, which are further modified by local factors that include successional changes due to fire and soil variation. We employed a series of multivariate approaches, including hierarchical clustering, Indicator Species Analysis (ISA), restricted Monte Carlo permutation tests, and both constrained and unconstrained ordinations, to identify (a) the main plant community types, (b) their representative species, and (c) the primary drivers of variation in species composition. Finally, we compared the obtained groups and species to associations described by earlier expert-based classifications. Results: From the set of analyses, we identified six different plant community types with 241 recorded species. We found significant differences across communities’ species composition and their environmental indicators. Among the considered environmental variables, elevation and annual precipitation had the strongest effect on species composition. Additionally, variation in composition was significantly related to forest structure, land use and soil characteristics. We further outlined the influence of locally biased classifications based on a predominance of sampling in areas western to the Andes in classification systems developed in the region. Conclusion: Our analysis allowed us to identify the most relevant environmental drivers and indicator species of the six classified plant communities based on numerical methods. The findings highlight the importance of considering full ecological gradients and communities’ responses for developing stable classification approaches. Taxonomic reference: Anton and Zuloaga (2023). Abbreviations: db-RDA = distance-based Redundancy Analysis; ISA = Indicator Species Analysis; NMDS = Non-metric Multi-Dimensional Scaling.

Traditional medicine, including the use of medicinal plants, is integral to healthcare and empowerment of individuals and communities worldwide. Preserving traditional knowledge of medicinal plants requires an understanding of social dynamics and knowledge transfer mechanisms that sustain these practices. This study aimed to explore stakeholder perspectives on the use of medicinal plants in South Tyrol (Italy) through a mixed-methods approach, combining an online survey with semi-structured interviews. We found that the use of medicinal plants is deeply rooted in local communities, supported by factors such as their local accessibility, their presence in education and medical self-care, and a strong local belief in plants’ healing powers. Knowledge is primarily transferred through women underscoring the gendered nature of this cultural heritage. However, sustainable and commercial use of medicinal plants is challenged by a complex set of socio-political barriers, including limited political prioritization and perceived disengagement of local authorities. Our findings highlight the need for coordinated multi-stakeholder strategies, including the establishment of a dedicated chamber to set production standards, safeguard commercial use, advocate for medicinal plant use, mediate conflicts, and address barriers collaboratively, ensuring the integration of traditional practices into modern contexts.

Accelerated global change, including land use change, is altering plant community composition and challenging conservation in protected areas (PAs) worldwide. Vegetation resurveys of quasi-permanent plots provide insights into these shifts over decades. However, resurvey studies are scarce in the temperate forests of the Andes in northern Patagonia, leaving questions on temporal vegetation dynamics unanswered. We resurveyed vegetation plots of three different forest types (mixed evergreen, coniferous and subalpine) located in Nahuel Huapi National Park >50 years after the original survey, in an area with current minimal but moderate to intense land use in the past. We applied multivariate analyses to assess changes in plant community composition and fitted generalized linear mixed models to compare temporal changes of different life forms and origin groups. Species gains and losses were analyzed by resurvey location and "winner" and "loser" species were identified. Our results indicate biotic homogenization of montane mixed evergreen and coniferous forests, ongoing understory closure and an increasing dominance of non-native species. Conversely, subalpine forests showed a more stable composition over time. These findings underscore the significance of legacy effects, i.e., land-use practices occurring decades ago having residual influences on the current biological composition. We conclude that without conservation management following intensive land use, such as non-native species removal, neither local nor global biodiversity conservation goals are likely to be met.

The distribution changes of evergreen broad-leaved tree and shrub species (EVE) at the border of Mediterranean and temperate forests due to climate change and land-use changes necessitates accurate mapping techniques to support biodiversity monitoring and climate adaptation strategies. Remote sensing time series provide valuable data for vegetation analysis, yet functional-level mapping in mixed forests remains challenging due to limited observation data. To tackle this limitation, the present study investigates pretraining strategies for mapping EVE cover in selected Italian forest areas using Sentinel-2 time series and a probabilistic Convolutional Neural Network. Additionally deep ensemble-based uncertainty estimation is used to further enhance the interpretability of the output. We compare three model training strategies: (i) direct training on up-to-date but limited field data, (ii) supervised pretraining on a larger, diverse forest vegetation database before fine-tuning, and (iii) self-supervised pretraining on large-scale unlabeled time series before fine-tuning. Our results demonstrate that pretraining on contextually similar datasets in combination with a spatial split of training and validation data significantly enhances predictive performance and generalization to unseen regions in a cross-validation experiment. Additionally, we assess epistemic and aleatoric uncertainty to improve interpretability and identification of out-of-distribution predictions. This study highlights the benefits of pretraining and uncertainty quantification for large-scale remote sensing applications with limited availability of labeled data.

Nature and natural elements have been proven to promote mental health and well‐being but there is a research gap regarding psychiatric environments, despite the importance of psychiatric hospitals for mental health. It is essential to understand the particular characteristics relevant for patients in these settings. We conducted semi‐structured in‐situ interviews with patients on greenspaces around two psychiatric hospitals in Germany to identify positive and negative perceptions of natural elements and amenities. The perceptions are embedded into the perceived sensory dimensions (PSD) concept and combined with mapping data to achieve in‐depth descriptions of the psychiatric greenspaces. The results show the importance of greenspaces for psychiatric patients and their positive sentiments towards those spaces. The greenspaces have to provide for diverse needs and support different uses of patients at various stages of recovery. User‐sensitive and multifunctional greenspace design can reconcile conflicts of interest and contribute to a therapeutic landscape. We propose that the PSD can complement the concept of Therapeutic Landscapes, especially when the focus is on natural environments. ‘Policy implications’: Multifunctional greenspaces around psychiatric clinics can help patients to relax, enjoy the connection to nature and other people, and further their well‐being. The spaces have to be carefully designed and can potentially have a therapeutic effect on people with mental‐health problems and simultaneously enhance nature conservation and biodiversity. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Mountain agroecosystems in Latin America provide multiple ecosystem functions (EFs) and products from global to local scales, particularly for the rural communities who depend on them. Agroforestry has been proposed as a climate-smart farming strategy throughout much of the region to help conserve biodiversity and enhance multiple EFs, especially in mountainous regions. However, large-scale synthesis on the potential of agroforestry across Latin America is lacking. To understand the potential impacts of agroforestry at the continental level, we conducted a meta-analysis examining the effects of agroforestry on biological activity and diversity (BIAD) and multiple EFs across mountain agroecosystems of Latin America. A total of 78 studies were selected based on a formalized literature search in the Web of Science. We analysed differences between (i) silvoarable systems versus cropland, (ii) silvopastoral systems versus pastureland, and (iii) agroforestry versus forest systems, based on response ratios. Response ratios were further used to understand how climate type, precipitation and soil properties (texture) influence key EFs (carbon sequestration, nutrient provision, erosion control, yield production) and BIAD in agroforestry systems. Results revealed that BIAD and EFs related to carbon sequestration and nutrient provisioning were generally higher in agroforestry systems (silvopastoral and silvoarable) compared to croplands and pasturelands without trees. However, the impacts of agroforestry systems on crop yields varied depending on the system considered (i.e., coffee vs. cereals), while forest systems generally provided greater levels of BIAD and EFs than agroforestry systems. Further analysis demonstrated that the impacts of agroforestry systems on BIAD and EFs depend greatly on climate type, soil, and precipitation. For example, silvoarable systems appear to generate the greatest benefits in arid or tropical climates, on sandier soils, and under lower precipitation regimes. Overall, our findings highlight the widespread potential of agroforestry systems to BIAD and multiple EFs across montane regions of Latin America.

Abstract Background Greenspaces have been proven to promote mental health and wellbeing. Research is conducted in diverse fields with various methods. However, studies and theoretical concepts frequently fail to address or define the scale of the environment in question. Furthermore, the different types of greenspace at the same scale are often inconsistently or inaccurately defined. Such limitations may impede the comparability of results and interdisciplinary understanding. The aims were therefore: 1. To provide a quantitative overview of the combinations of greenspace and mental health measures used at the ecological scales; 2. To embed the results in the existing theoretical background. Methods A systematic search and a scoping review were conducted, applying an PEO framework. The data was charted with an extraction table and analysed with regard to the ecological scales which are: landscapes, ecosystems/land-use types, and species/natural elements. Preliminary Results Generally, distinct greenspace measures are used at different scales, while the mental health measures do not show such a clear pattern. The “landscape” scale is most often assessed via GIS approaches. The scales “ecosystems” and “species” are mostly investigated via interventions. Overall, the “ecosystems” scale is the most frequent in both research and theory. Qualitative mental health measures often focus on ecosystems. However, the qualitative theoretical concepts are based on landscapes, e.g. Therapeutic Landscapes. Species and natural elements are rarely directly addressed by both studies and theories. Conclusions We propose increased attention to the types and scales of green and nature at both the theoretical and the practical research level. Established ecological scales can provide a common basis for interdisciplinary research and improve the comparability of studies. This can elucidate the potential differences in the impact of the diverse forms and dimensions of nature on human health. Key messages • The methods employed to assess the relation between greenspace and mental health vary according to the ecological scale. Ecosystems are the main focus in research and theory, species the least. • The type and scale of nature should be considered in environmental health research and theory. Established ecological scales can provide a basis for interdisciplinary comparability and understanding.

Protected areas are recognized as a crucial tool to mitigate ongoing trends of biodiversity loss. The effect of different levels of protection and their subsequent conservation efficiency remains, however, largely unexplored. To fill this gap, we present here an integrated approach that combines taxonomic analysis based on typical species to evaluate habitat quality and functional analysis based on plant traits to define habitat structure and functions. We focused on shrubland habitats across levels of protection in two different biogeographical areas. We found that habitat quality does not change linearly with levels of protection. Furthermore, the increase in habitat quality is characterized by a homogenization of habitat structure and functions, mostly driven by an increase in typical species. Our study suggests the level of protection afforded by protected areas is not necessarily indicative of their quality. A combined taxonomic and functional approach in protected areas can offer a thorough appraisal of habitat quality.

This systematic review offers a comprehensive analysis of the current state of knowledge regarding tourism in European traditional multifunctional cultural landscapes (TMCLs) from a landscape perspective. Adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines, this study aims to identify the principal contextual themes, geographical patterns, and drivers of change in TMCL tourism research from a theoretical landscape perspective. The outcomes of this systematic review revealed that the study of tourism in European TMCLs is still in its early stages, characterized by a scarcity of studies and a limited representation of countries within the existing literature. The analyzed papers underscore a restricted focus on local stakeholder preferences and carrying capacity, with only one study acknowledging the concept of landscape services. Conversely, government initiatives and local community engagement emerge as the most influential drivers of change in the tourism sector. In view of these findings, this study accentuates the significance of embracing a holistic approach to tourism that integrates living systems thinking and regenerative tourism as key priorities. Consequently, the study suggests that future research prioritize investigating local stakeholder preferences, carrying capacity, and other contextual variables to overcome the current limitations of the literature and shape tourism towards a more resilient and sustainable future. The results of this systematic review provide valuable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in the field of tourism in TMCLs. Additionally, they serve as a foundational basis for future research endeavors in this domain.

In Central Europe, anthropogenic coniferous monocultures have been subject to conversion to more diverse mixed forests since the 1990s, however, they are still abundant across many forest landscapes. Artificial and natural tree regeneration both play a key role during conversion by determining the species composition and structure of the future forests. Many abiotic and biotic factors can potentially influence the regeneration process and its specific combinations or interactions may be different among tree species and its developmental stages. Here, we aimed to identify and quantify the effect of the most important drivers on the density of the most abundant regenerating tree species (i.e., Norway spruce and European beech), as well as on species and structural diversity of the tree regeneration. We studied tree regeneration in four former monospecific coniferous stand types (i.e., Norway spruce, Scots pine, European larch, and Douglas fir) in Southwest Germany that have been under conversion to mixed forests since the 1990s. We sampled tree regeneration in four growth height classes together with a variety of potentially influencing factors on 108 sampling plots and applied multivariate analyses. We identified light availability in the understorey, stand structural attributes, browsing pressure, and diaspore source abundance as the most important factors for the density and diversity of tree regeneration. Particularly, we revealed species-specific differences in drivers of regeneration density. While spruce profited from increasing light availability and decreasing stand basal area, beech benefited either from a minor reduction or more strikingly from an increase in overstorey density. Increasing diaspore source abundance positively and a high browsing pressure negatively affected both species equally. Our results suggest that humus and topsoil properties were modified during conversion, probably due to changes in tree species composition and silvicultural activities. The species and structural diversity of the tree regeneration benefitted from increasing light availability, decreasing stand basal area, and a low to moderate browsing pressure. We conclude that forest managers may carefully equilibrate among the regulation of overstorey cover, stand basal area, and browsing pressure to fulfil the objectives of forest conversion, i.e., establishing and safeguarding a diverse tree regeneration to promote the development of mature mixed forests in the future.

IntroductionGreenspaces can provide an important resource for human mental health. A growing body of literature investigates the interaction and the influence of diverse greenspace exposures. In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the complex connection between greenspace and mental health, a variety of perspectives and methodological combinations are needed. The aim of this review is to assess the current methodologies researching greenspace and mental health.MethodsA scoping review was conducted. Four electronic databases (Pubmed, Embase, PsycInfo, Web of Science) were searched for relevant studies. A wide range of greenspace and mental health keywords were included to provide a comprehensive representation of the body of research. Relevant information on publication characteristics, types of greenspaces, mental health outcomes, and measurements of greenspace exposure and mental health was extracted and assessed.Results338 studies were included. The included studies encompassed a multitude of methods, as well as outcomes for both greenspace and mental health. 28 combinations were found between seven categories each for greenspace and mental health assessment. Some pairings such as geoinformation systems for greenspace assessment and questionnaires investigating mental health were used much more frequently than others, implying possible research gaps. Furthermore, we identified problems and inconsistences in reporting of greenspace types and mental health outcomes.DiscussionThe identified methodological variety is a potential for researching the complex connections between greenspace and mental health. Commonly used combinations can provide important insights. However, future research needs to emphasize other perspectives in order to understand how to create living environments with mental health benefits. For this purpose, interdisciplinary research is necessary.