Beyond Scenery: UNESCO Natural Heritage as a Therapeutic Landscape for Public Health

Background

While nature’s health benefits are well-known, the public health impacts of protected UNESCO Natural Heritage sites remain underexplored. This study explores the diverse values of a UNESCO site as a therapeutic landscape promoting psychological well-being.

Methods

A qualitative study was conducted at Geomunoreum, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site in Jeju, South Korea. On-site, working interviews with 30 visitors were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results

Four themes emerged: 1) Geological awe: Experiencing nature’s grand scale shifted visitors from human-centric views to profound awe. 2) Educational value: The site served as a living textbook intersecting natural and human history. 3) Therapeutic well-being: Multisensory embodiment (wind, scent, physical exertion) allowed visitors to disconnect from daily burnout, providing deep psychological restoration. 4) Ecological ethics: Visitors supported efforts to restore native ecosystems.

Conclusions

Visitors do not merely consume the site for scenic beauty. It functions as a therapeutic landscape fostering psychological healing and ecological modesty. Managed heritage sites offer a sustainable model for nature-based health interventions.

Key messages

• Strictly protected natural heritage sites act as powerful therapeutic landscapes, offering profound psychological restoration and relief from burnout through multisensory embodiment.

• Environmental conservation policies can synergistically enhance both ecological integrity and public mental health.