The importance of living in or near natural environments or nature reserves
Category General News
Everyone gets to a certain point in their lives when they want to buy a home. However, there are certain aspects that many people don’t take into consideration when they have reached this point. One of these aspects is the importance of living near nature or conservation areas.
As this modern world grows more and more, nature and conservation areas and being infringed upon forcing many humans to live in built-up urban environments. However, there are many benefits to living in natural areas and there are a variety of news articles and studies based on this. Some of the findings and the benefits they have on wellness and well-being are quite astounding.
According to various recent studies, by leading international publications such as The Washington Post and CNN, living near nature or conservation areas is extremely beneficial and can help in making modern life more bearable. An article published off The Washington Post entitled “Why living around nature could make you live longer” the author Chelsey Harvey explains that a recent study by Environmental Health Perspectives stated that living near natural areas could drastically increase not just your quality of life, but it also has an adverse effect on mortality rates as well. The study is also looking into nature and conservation and the effects it has on mental health issues.
“A study just published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives found that people who live in “greener” areas, with more vegetation around, have a lower risk of mortality. The health benefits are likely thanks to factors such as improved mental health, social engagement and physical activity that come with living near green spaces”. -www.washingtonpost.com
Equate this to a South African context and even more specifically to the rolling hills of the North Coast of KwaZulu-Natal. The town of Ballito has been developing at an alarming rate recently and with this development comes an obvious impact on the environment. However, there are areas and developments which take this environmental impact into consideration, priding themselves in working hand in hand with conservation, creating a space of symbiosis and tranquility.
One such destination is Zimbali, which over the years has developed into one of the residential and leisure jewels of the North Coast. This is why leading property brokerage Century 21 has a vested interest in this particular location as nature is at the core of the development. According to Zimbali’s website the area has indigenous wildlife, a coastal sand forest, over 200 species of birds and a wide variety of fauna and flora.
This is backed up by further by an article published in 2017 off CNN’s website that makes reference to a study which was conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital which looked into the benefit of being near nature for women’s health, however the article also said that this study could also very well correlate to men’s health as well.
“They compared risk of death with the amount of plant life and vegetation near the women's homes and found that women living in the greenest areas had a 12% lower death rate than women living in the least green areas. The levels of vegetation were determined using satellite imagery from different seasons and years”.-https://edition.cnn.com
One of the most worthwhile factors about living in KwaZulu-Natal is the fact that there is an abundance of nature around every corner. There are very few locations where people are trapped in a concrete jungle in the province. Zimbali situated on the North Coast of KwaZulu-Natal near Durban is no different and that is why it's become such a favourable holiday and residential area for so many reasons. It would seem there really isn’t a better time to invest in this highly regarded location. Get in contact with a Century 21 broker today and get in touch with nature with Zimbali on the North Coast of KwaZulu-Natal.
Author: Century 21 South Africa
