Jim Levitt, Director of Land and Water Conservation Programs, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Rand Wentworth, Honorary Chair of the Land Trust Alliance; Senior Fellow in Environmental Leadership, Harvard Kennedy SchoolSadiya Muqueeth, Director of Community Health, The Trust for Public LandCarles Castell, Head of Protected Areas, Provincial Council of Barcelona; Honorary President of EUROPARC Spain

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the link between land conservation and public health amid crises. Amid lockdowns and the potential risks of staying indoors, people across urban, suburban and rural areas have increasingly turned to urban green spaces, parks and other natural areas. People worldwide have sought safe outdoor venues for recreation and relaxation.

This webinar focuses on open spaces, parks and protected areas as essential components of public health infrastructure, as well as their diverse benefits for physical and mental health. Speakers from the United States and Spain discuss pressing issues including how land conservation advances human health and well-being, and how to guarantee equitable access to high-quality green spaces for all.

Video link：

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/pGNdIpLBqPmrfwvBP1byLg

Rand WentworthHe currently serves as Senior Fellow in Environmental Leadership and Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is also Honorary Chair of the Land Trust Alliance based in Washington, D.C., a national conservation organization supporting more than 1,100 local land trusts across the United States. The Alliance employs 8,000 staff members, has 16,000 board members and a membership of 4.6 million. During his tenure as President from 2002 to 2016, he earned wide recognition for accelerating and elevating land conservation efforts nationwide. Prior to joining the Land Trust Alliance, he served as Vice President and Founding Director of the Atlanta office of The Trust for Public Land. In this role, he doubled the size of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park and led a $143 million fundraising campaign to protect a 70-mile stretch of the Chattahoochee River watershed, the primary drinking water source for the City of Atlanta.

Dr. Sadiya MuqueethAs Director of Community Health at The Trust for Public Land, she leads nationwide initiatives to forge connections between the natural environment and community health across the United States. She previously worked as a Community Health Strategy Consultant in Maryland. She was also a CDC Public Health Prevention Fellow with the Baltimore City Health Department and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay.

Carles CastellHe joined the Protected Areas Division of the Provincial Council of Barcelona in 1994, engaging in nature conservation research, monitoring, planning and the development of conservation and management plans. At present, he oversees multiple Nature & Health initiatives of varying scales. He is a member of the Health and Protected Areas Commission at EUROPARC Federation, and held the position of President of EUROPARC Spain from 2013 to 2017. Castell has authored numerous books and academic papers on ecology, as well as the analysis, planning and management of natural areas.