Evidence

This paper documents the specific health outcomes of green spaces, outlining largely positive outcomes in regards to physical activity, weight impact, birth outcomes and cardiovascular consequences. Green space was typically found to increase exercise and so decrease obesity and poor cardiovascular outcomes. Mental and social health benefitted as green space allows for social connection mitigating loneliness. Findings showed that lower socioeconomic populations typically had less access to green space.

This review identifies pathways categorise how health benefits are brought about through green space. First, through reduction of harm such as lower levels of air pollution due to reduced traffic. Second, through the restoration of capacities like increased attention spans. Finally, through the building of capacities which encourages physical activity and social connection.

Evidence review commissioned by NASP detailing the current evidence for the multiple ways the natural environment can have a positive impact on social prescribing initiatives.

This report demonstrates how the natural environment can support children and young people’s mental and physical health. It includes the implications for service delivery based on the latest evidence.

This review summarises the evidence for the links between nature and physical health on numerous topics, giving a comprehensive overview of the topic and including recommendations for policy and delivery.

This briefing focuses on the links between the natural environments and mental health. It is a comprehensive summary of the evidence for the links between nature and mental health and highlights implications for policy and delivery.

This project aimed to provide the first estimate of the economic value of trees outside woodlands in the UK, which is calculated to be between £1.39 billion and £3.83 billion per year. This figure is based on the ecosystem services these trees provide, including carbon storage and sequestration, air pollution removal, flood mitigation and more. The valuation will be useful to policymakers in considering where to allocate resources, in making decisions, and in the preparation of future policies.

This toolkit supports local authorities and land managers to accelerate their plans for planting trees and woodlands. In partnership with Defra and the Forestry Commission, this is an in-depth guide to developing and delivering a trees and woodland strategy. It explains how to build the political and community support that is vital to ensure that trees and woodlands are planted and protected.

As summer droughts are expected to be more common and more severe, this will have implications on tree planting. In order to be sustainable, planting plans will need to incorporate species which can withstand the drought caused by hotter, drier summers; waterlogging caused by warmer, wetter winters, and frost. This quick reference guide from the RHS suggests a range of species for various scenarios.

Chief Scientist’s Group report on the importance of nature in providing ecosystem services, presenting recent and historical trends in biodiversity. It includes examples of where nature-based solutions have the potential to meet the government’s environmental commitments, with case studies demonstrating places in the UK where some of these solutions are being put into practice.