Our health depends on nature but this year showed that access to green spaces isn’t equal
This post is by Dr Rose O’Neill, principal specialist for people and environment at Natural England.
For all its ups and considerable downs, 2020 was a year when the nation sought solace in nature.
Since April, Natural England has been asking people in England about their relationship with nature. Each week we ask hundreds of adults from all walks of life about how they have spent time in green and natural places, how this has affected their health, and their environmental attitudes and behaviours.
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It isn’t often that government is presented with an opportunity to seduce environmentalists, young people and mental health campaigners in one fell swoop. It’s even more unheard of that they could do it cheaply. So it’s no surprise that the evidence linking access to nature with positive mental health outcomes is gaining currency among policy makers. But to exploit this opportunity, the government will need to do more than it has so far promised in its new 25 year environment plan. 
