Contributing to a healthier Scotland

What is green health?

‘Green health’ is a term used to describe engagement with greenspace and nature to improve your physical, mental and social health and wellbeing. 

Health professionals and policymakers recognise the importance of outdoor activities for public health, and increasing the proportion of adults enjoying the outdoors each week is a key target for the Scottish Government. 

Examples of green health activities include:

• wildlife watching
• walking and cycling
• gardening
• outdoor recreation and sport
• outdoor learning and play
• outdoor volunteering and citizen science
• green gyms, park runs and the daily mile
• green prescriptions

As well as improving health and well-being, many of these activities also contribute to other priorities for Scottish Government including tackling climate change and biodiversity loss, improving educational outcomes, encouraging active travel and building the green economy. 

Our Role

NatureScot has a statutory responsibility for facilitating public enjoyment of nature and promoting awareness and understanding of the right of responsible access. We champion public enjoyment of the outdoors and work to ensure that everyone in Scotland has opportunities to participate in recreation, volunteering and outdoor learning. We do this through:

• research and policy development
• providing advice to national and local government
• developing best practice on our National Nature Reserves
• working with other public bodies and relevant organisations to encourage responsible access through campaigns and information provision.

Enjoying the outdoors is important for health and well-being and we work with the health sector to increase this contribution by promoting healthier living and through developing nature-based health promotion, treatment, and recovery programmes that help address health inequalities and promote better health outcomes for all.

Strong partnership working is key to achieving greater and more equal access to nature for public health and wellbeing. We have developed a joint Statement of Intent with Public Health Scotland titled ‘Working Together for Health and Nature Equity’. This is in recognition of the urgent need to tackle the interconnected challenges of health, nature and climate. Read our shared narrative on health, nature and climate to find out more.

In partnership with Greenspace Scotland and Public Health Scotland we have set out a framework for advancing green health in Scotland. This has been co-created with stakeholders from the health, environment and other sectors, and it provides the shared direction required to create a co-ordinated, whole-system approach to green health in Scotland. It is intended to be used by policymakers, health boards, local authorities, the third sector and others as a common reference point for planning, investment and action. 

We are committed to supporting the delivery of this framework by leading on the actions we can, including our work on the NHS Climate Emergency and Sustainability Strategy. As part of this we have supported Public Health Scotland to establish a Green Health Learning Network to help bring together policymakers, academics, and practitioners, to share best practice and promote green health work across Scotland. If your work relates to this and you would like to be added to this network, please contact [email protected].

Contact

Rachel Elliott
Email: [email protected]

Further information

National Policy

The health benefits of outdoor access are supported by a growing body of evidence and are widely acknowledged in both national and international policy frameworks. 

Key National Policies include:

• Scotland Population Health Framework – sets out Scottish Government's and COSLA’s long-term collective approach to improving Scotland’s health and reducing health inequalities for the next decade, including through the creation of healthy, sustainable and climate resilient places by working in and with communities.
• Scotland’s Physical Activity and Sport Framework, published in October 2024, highlights access to nature-rich outdoor spaces as an important contributor to improving physical activity levels in Scotland. It identifies ‘strengthening outdoor access’ and raising awareness of Scottish access rights as key actions required to achieve Scotland’s physical activity goals.
• Scotland’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy recognises greenspaces and nature as a key contributor to good mental health and wellbeing.
• Scotland’s draft Environment Strategy recognises the role of green health and sets outcomes for a healthy environment that supports a fairer, healthier, more inclusive society.