Nature based interventions for improving health and well-being

NATURELAB will contribute to increased recognition, promotion and use of green and blue spaces as health care providers, by investigating the benefits of nature-based therapies (NBT) to promote well-being and support health prevention & rehabilitation.

Around 4000 participants from 15 Experimental Sites and 4 Demonstrator Fellows located in rural, coastal, and urban areas of five European and Latin American countries (PT, EL, NL, DE, and PE) will experience the NATURELAB NBT programmes. The participants will ensure a representative sample of gender, age and socioeconomic status. The geographic locations comprise a variety of climate, nature (green and blue), ecosystems, biodiversity, cultural, policy and administrative scenarios. The health issues that will be addressed include physical (hypertension) and mental conditions (depression), among others.

NATURELAB proposes an innovative approach to contribute to resilient communities, by enhancing the green and blue areas' benefits - as the resilience to climate change, the promotion of biodiversity and urban water management, and addressing as well air pollution and noise levels. The project will deliver, among others: i) NBT programmes tailored to population with different needs; ii) Portfolio of indicators to classify the health potential of nature & Guidelines to analyse the health benefits of green areas as required by natural capital accounting; iv) Guidelines for the creation and management of private and public healing gardens, horticulture/gardening spaces merging climate resilience and environment sustainability; iv) Programme Guide for funding scheme to support NBT in the health sector and v) Guidelines to promote the integration of NB care in the public health sector. Around 600 health professionals worldwide will receive the NATURELAB NBT programmes, and 8000-10000 innovative educational and training materials will be delivered. New jobs - therapists; horticulture & gardening industries -will be exploited.