The 2009 Report to the Community is now available.

Download the 2009 Report to the Community (2MB PDF)

• 2008 Report to the Community (1.3MB PDF)

The value of urban parks, protected areas and private land trusts will only increase as we head towards a future destined for significant challenges.

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With this report Mind calls for a new green agenda for mental health, following growing evidence in support of an accessible, cost-effective and natural addition to existing treatment options - ecotherapy.

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Over recent years, acknowledgement of human dependence on nature for material needs (food, water, shelter, etc) as well as for psychological, emotional and spiritual needs has been growing. Researchers across a range of disciplines, including psychology, environmental health, psychiatry, land use planning, horticulture, leisure and recreation, wilderness, and public helath policy, have contributed to an accumulation of evidence in support of the idea that contact with nature is good for human health and wellbeing.

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Whilst urban-dwelling individuals who seek out parks and gardens appear to intuitively understand the personal health and well-being benefits arising from ‘contact with nature’, public health strategies are yet to maximize the untapped resource nature provides, including the benefits of nature contact as an upstream health promotion intervention for populations. This paper presents a summary of empirical, theoretical and anecdotal evidence drawn from a literature review of the human health benefits of contact with nature.

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This project is the result of a joint initiative between Parks Victoria, the International Park Strategic Partners Group, and Deakin University.  All recognise the significance of the health and wellbeing benefits from interacting with nature in park settings, the implications for public health, and the lack of collated information on this topic.

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An annotated bibliography of the The Health Benefits of Contact with Nature in a Park Context. Criteria for inclusion included significance of the work, and relevance to either the health benefits of contact with nature or implications for park management and planning.

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