A new study out of Costa Rica shows that a higher tree volume doesn’t just help the planet, it might just protect our health.

In the lush countryside of southern Costa Rica, researchers from Stanford and Princeton teamed up to explore how tree cover affects mosquitoes. Using satellite data and fieldwork, they found that even small patches of trees, within about 90 to 250 meters, made a big difference.

Some places with more tree cover had a higher volume of mosquitos, which is good for the ecosystem, and it was fewer of the bad kind — namely Aedes albopictus, a mosquito that spreads illnesses like dengue and chikungunya.

These disease-spreading bugs preferred places more built-up or disturbed by people.

The research suggests planting and protecting trees might be a natural way to fight the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. Forest conservation isn’t just about saving the rainforest — it might just help save us too.

The findings were published in Landscape Ecology.

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