Instinctively we know the benefit that nature has for our health. The physical and mental benefits, the benefits to child development, and the benefits to the health and happiness of our communities. Research and policy at national level have begun to confirm this instinct, demonstrating the positive impact nature can have on the health of our entire population, reducing health inequities and tackling complex challenges like social isolation. However, when talking about nature recovery, the link to health often remains unsaid.

So let me share with you why I think we should be paying more attention to this link. and why focusing on health in the battle for nature can have a formidable impact.

First, let’s take stock, the pressure on our NHS continues to increase. Like the environmental crisis, the health of our nation is at a tipping point, facing looming threats that include a mental health crisis, increasing prevalence of long-term conditions, and widening health inequalities. With health and nature being so interlinked, decisions that prioritise lasting change and positive outcomes for both seem not just advisable, but essential. I work for NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight and recently spent two months working alongside the community and engagement team at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (HIWWT) looking at the impact that they have on people's health. Here’s what we found.

We started by speaking to the public and one thing was clear from the start - consciously or unconsciously, people use HIWWT sites for their health. Whether for exercise, detox, relaxation, mental stimulation, alleviating anxiety or boosting mood, the bottom line was that people wouldn't use HIWWT sites if they didn't feel better from doing so.

We also witnessed the huge impact nature has on children's health. School trips at HIWWT sites and initiatives like Forest School were shining beacons for the power of nature to positively impact confidence, self-esteem and mood. I heard countless stories of children who often struggle to engage in education, finding ways to do so through nature. It’ll come as no surprise that we saw an equally powerful, knock-on impact on parents. Using interactions with nature to connect with their children and socialise with other parents.

So, health plays an important role in the way people interact with nature, what else? Well, the benefits go the other way too - health can also have a huge impact on nature recovery.

I shadowed corporate wellbeing days designed for organisations working in high pressure environments and saw how HIWWTs delivery had positive ramifications for nature. By being designed with health in mind, it opened doors for people that hadn’t really considered the role of nature in their health before and created opportunities for future engagement. It means more people caring for the nature on their doorstep or in their workplace and considered nature more regularly in business decisions.

Another great example HIWWT staff’s collaboration with local GP surgeries to deliver healthcare interventions at Testwood Lakes. By delivering this group with HIWWT the health benefits of nature have moved from unsaid to deliberate. And as a result, group members are acting for nature in ways that they frankly wouldn't have done before. Such as contributing in varying ways to the conservation at Testwood or transforming their own gardens for nature.

What's encouraging, is the relationship between nature and health is self-fulfilling. Training for nature-based interventions like forest school or beach school attracts people from across sectors. Nurses, police, teachers, and carers, all with their own role in the health of our communities, attending because of their own experience of the health benefits of nature. And in turn, they're filling their own career space with new ideas that benefit both health and nature.

All around us we see the power of nature, its ability to heal and facilitate long-term sustainable change in people. Now also, I hope you see the power of health, as a crucial motivator to get people noticing, engaging and caring for nature.