Nature and the mind: Towards nature-based mental health care and prevention

Vollständiger Abstract

Worum geht es in dieser Arbeit?

The United Kingdom (UK) Government’s recent 10 Year Health Plan for England aims to fix a “broken” and increasingly unaffordable health system through a shift from sickness to prevention, hospital to community, and analogue to digital, with a focus on mental as well as physical health. However, the 171-page strategy for a healthy nation does not contain a single reference to nature or biodiversity. We review the significant benefits of nature and biodiversity to health and outline how these benefits can and should be incorporated into the 10 Year Health Plan. We provide examples of effective approaches and techniques, describe challenges to implementation, and propose potential solutions. We focus on mental health, although many benefits will also apply to physical health. Harnessing nature and biodiversity could play a substantial role in supporting the UK’s revised goals, particularly preventing illness and enhancing treatment at the community level.