As part of efforts to improve the nation's wellbeing, NatureScot is promoting Green Health Week as the perfect time to reconnect with the natural world, writes Ann Wallace.

Walks in nature, mountain biking therapy and prescriptions for community activities in green spaces and woods are all part of an ambitious plan to improve Scotland’s physical, mental and social health through nature.

As Green Health Week (May 14-22) gets underway, NatureScot – the public body that champions the protection, restoration and value of Scotland’s nature and landscapes – is highlighting the work of the pioneering Green Health Partnerships (GHPs) and their efforts in linking more than 500 nature-based activities and projects to health policy and practice.

The Herald:

Pete Rawcliffe, NatureScot’s Head of People and Places, explains: “There is now a lot of evidence that spending time outside connecting to nature is good for our health and wellbeing, and in Scotland, around 10 years ago, organisations like NatureScot, Scottish Forestry, Public Health Scotland and the Active Scotland team in Scottish Government started to think seriously about how to make something of that.

“For the most part in Scotland, nature is free – most of us have easy access to parks and green spaces, for example, so it is a significant asset for health and wellbeing. The question is, how do we make this work for more people?”

 Contact with nature is important for physical, mental and social health and wellbeing, with a significant body of evidence demonstrating that outdoor activity and contact with nature can help sleep patterns, reduce stress, and improve mood and self-esteem.

Use of green spaces has also been associated with benefits to the immune system and metabolism, reduction in cardiovascular disease and reduced rates of obesity and diabetes.

The Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns exacerbated health inequalities and brought the gap between those with access to outdoor space and those without into sharp focus. Social isolation and loneliness soared, with profound impacts on people’s mental health and wellbeing, and local green spaces provided a setting for people of all ages and diverse backgrounds to meet, becoming a catalyst for social connection, helping to reduce social isolation and leading to greater personal and community resilience.

“During lockdown, people really valued the benefits of being outdoors in nature more often, and we saw this in surveys of visits to the outdoors we undertook over the last two years,” says Mr Rawcliffe. “But we also saw that not everyone had those opportunities.

“That is a gap which needs to be addressed, through targeted investment in greenspace, and activities which support the use of the outdoors by these under-represented groups in particular.

 “The Green Health Partnerships are a big step change in joining the dots in practice between health and environmental policy – and the impressive number of more than 500 activities in these four areas alone, which are now better connected to delivering health outcomes, are a testament to this.”

He adds: “The GHPs all look and feel very different, but in essence they are all doing the same thing – developing the use of nature-based solutions which help promote health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities.

 “During Green Health Week they will be running their own events and activities to raise awareness. Other partners such as some of Scotland’s ranger services; Paths for All, The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) and the John Muir Trust are also joining in. The more we can do to give more people access to these activities, the better.”

GHPs, which are led by local health boards and local authorities, influence policy and practice, raise awareness of the benefits of green health and both co-ordinate and help expand the provision of green health activities, such as health walks, community gardens, volunteering and active travel opportunities.

Since 2018, four GHPs have been established with support from NatureScot and other key partners, in Lanarkshire, Dundee, North Ayrshire and Highland.

The longest established GHP, in Lanarkshire, has now been integrated into the Board’s regular public health programmes, and funding for a further phase of work in the other three areas is currently provided by NatureScot, Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government. NHS Lothian has also been developing a similar approach through their strategic framework for greenspace and health.

The Dundee and North Ayrshire GHPs have developed “green prescribing” where GPs and other health practitioners can refer people to community-based supportive green health projects and programmes. The Dundee scheme is administered by Dundee Volunteer and Voluntary Action which also provides support to referrals to encourage their take-up of prescribed activities.

Trail Therapy is an innovative approach to outdoor therapy to help people suffering from mental ill-health in Dundee and Lanarkshire. Using mountain biking and contact with nature, it is being delivered by Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland. In Dundee, the focus is on young people; in Lanarkshire, it is being used as part of forensic occupational health support.

In Edinburgh and the Lothians, homeless charity The Cyrenians have sought innovative ways to influence NHS greenspace and deliver health and wellbeing benefits to staff, patients and the local community.

Their Community Hospital Gardens in Edinburgh and the Lothians support around 500 patients, 60 to 80 volunteers, and engage with local schools, youth groups and community groups. The Cyrenians are part of the Thrive Edinburgh programme focusing on use of greenspace to support the mental health strategy.

In Lanarkshire, TCV have joined forces with Cumbernauld Living Landscape (CLL) to develop Wild Ways Well, a green health therapy programme which connects people with their local woodlands through group activity that encourages participants to: connect, be active, take notice, keep learning, and give. The project is modelled on the “Five Ways to Wellbeing” produced by the New Economics Foundation.

Highland GHP has created an online directory of services and made available a range of case studies which show how engaging in green health brings a range of benefits. The other pilot GHPs have produced similar online information resources and carry out awareness-raising activities to link healthcare practitioners, environment sector bodies and community groups.

Green Health Week (May 14 – 22) aims to boost awareness of the ways in which connecting people and nature can help improve health and wellbeing. See www.nature.scot for more details.

 

ROOT FOR A GREENER, POST-PANDEMIC OUTLOOK

INVESTMENT in nature-based solutions to improve our physical, mental and social health is a ‘win-win’ situation for people and the environment, according to Pete Rawcliffe, NatureScot’s Head of People and Places.

The Herald:

“Regular contact with nature is vital, not just as part of a joined-up approach to keeping people healthier, but also in supporting the action needed to address the climate emergency and biodiversity loss,” he explains. “Alongside investment in protecting and restoring nature, the work of Green Health Partnerships is helping to demonstrate this in practice – a natural health service that supports our National Health Service.”

The Our Natural Health Service (ONHS) programme, led by NatureScot, was one of the first national programmes developed in Europe to support the use of nature-based solutions in health policy and practice. “The Covid-19 global pandemic demonstrated as never before how important a nature-rich environment is for everyone,” explains Mr Rawcliffe.

“The vast majority of the population was locked down in urban areas for an extended period of time, and urban nature and greenspace took on a new significance. Many people reported feeling a new connection to nature in their local area, discovering their local greenspaces and wildlife on daily walks, and often finding solace in that connection during a difficult time.”

This is not just anecdotal. Research by NatureScot found that 73% felt spending time outdoors in nature helped them to de-stress, relax and unwind and 63% agreed it improved their physical health.

Mr Rawcliffe explains: “The pandemic inadvertently resulted in many people taking an important first step in connecting with nature and experiencing all the benefits, and NatureScot wants to help them keep it up.

“We are also helping to create better places – high quality accessible greenspaces that were demonstrated to be so vital during lockdowns. These greenspaces can help those less able to access these benefits – people who are older, less affluent and in poor health.”

NatureScot is targeting investment to places that need it most – for example, it has allocated more than £15m of investment through the Green Infrastructure Fund, funding the establishment of 20 Wee Forests and supporting urban nature projects under the Biodiversity Challenge and Nature Restoration Funds.

Through its Make Space for Nature campaign, the organisation aims to get more individuals and communities involved in action to improve local greenspace for nature and climate through, for example, planting trees, creating ponds and creating areas for wild flowers. In 2021/22, NatureScot supported more than 600 communities to improve their local environment and around 20,000 people to volunteer.

Mr Rawcliffe adds: “We want our towns and cities to be nature-rich. Nature is integral for our society, economy and environment; Covid-19 has jettisoned the idea that these policy areas are separate. Nature must be at the heart of our emergence from this crisis – a green recovery for people and planet.”

 

A GROWTH IN DEMAND FOR SPACES TO UNWIND 

GREEN health activities – such as walking meetings outdoors, or seeking solace in a relaxing garden – can help prevent and treat a wide range of illnesses and conditions.

Outdoor activity and contact with nature has been associated with benefits to the immune system and metabolism, reduction in cardiovascular disease, reduced rates of obesity and diabetes, reduced stress, anxiety and rates of depression.

The Herald:

It makes sense, then, that one of the three key strands to NatureScot’s green health work is rooted in gardens and green spaces within and surrounding Scotland’s hospitals and health centres.

“There are three key areas – Green Health Partnerships is one, ongoing investment in green infrastructure is a second, and the third focuses on NHS green spaces,” says Pete Rawcliffe, NatureScot’s Head of People and Places.

“The new international targets for biodiversity that are currently being agreed will include measures for improving urban biodiversity to increase the health and wellbeing benefits for all. 

“That’s why measures that improve greenspaces for people and wildlife are being included in health policies and practice, such as the forthcoming NHS Scotland climate emergency and sustainability strategy.”

Through its work with area health boards, NatureScot and its partners in both environment and health sectors have supported the improvement of nearly 90 hectares of the NHS outdoor estate, creating woodlands, establishing wildflower meadows and ponds, and providing outdoor spaces for staff, patients and visitors.

Early research showed an estimated 10% increase in use of the greenspace by staff at some of the sites, with activities taking place including recreation, walking meetings, active travel, volunteering, and treatment and recovery programmes. The pressure on healthcare staff during the pandemic also resulted in increased demand for outdoor spaces to help staff unwind or seek solace.

Mr Rawcliffe adds: “Nature is essential to tackling the big problems we face – nature-based solutions can address climate change and biodiversity loss; improve health and wellbeing; and support the action needed to address inequalities and develop the wellbeing economy. We need to build it in to the places we live, work and play.

“The long-term aim is that we get policy which links climate, nature and health.

“A lot has already been achieved but there is still more to do to achieve the win-win-wins we need.”