Green Prescriptions: Why Scientists Say Nature Belongs in Mental Health

A review in PLOS Mental Health argues that England’s 10 Year Health Plan—while positioning mental health as a national priority—omits any reference to nature or biodiversity. The paper, led by Giulia Vivaldi and colleagues, says that gap is more than rhetorical because evidence increasingly supports nature as low-cost “core infrastructure” for prevention and treatment. Focusing on mental health, the researchers link access to green and blue spaces—such as parks, gardens, rivers, coastlines, and woodlands—to lower psychological distress, reduced depression and anxiety symptoms, and better emotional regulation and cognition. They also highlight biodiversity’s added psychological benefits, noting that degraded environments may provide less restorative value.