Resources

Check out relevant information sources below, including links to nature-based charities and initiatives, reviews of popular science books, and insights from scientific publications.

This is by no means a comprehensive list but provides a glimpse of what is available out there.

Charities and initiatives

Mind

A mental health charity that supports engagement in Nature as way to sustain physical and mental wellbeing.

Wilderness Foundation

A charity that harnesses the power of Nature to transform vulnerable lives, running initiatives such as the Wild Schools Climate Action Programme.

NHS Forest

An alliance of healthcare settings transforming their green spaces for the benefit of health, wellbeing and biodiversity.

Green Impact for Health

A toolkit commissioned by the Royal College of General Practitioners to improve sustainability in the healthcare setting.

Copernicus Climate Change Service

A databank of authoritative information about the past,

present and future global climate.

Greener NHS

A UK programme to reduce the impact of climate change on public health and the environment, aiming for net carbon zero healthcare.

Popular science books

By Greta Thunberg and numerous contributors

Do not let the understated title fool you - this is so much more than a book on climate. It is a manifesto for the protection of our planet; a tome of informative accounts ranging from methane to meatless, from deforestation to decarbonisation; a teeming medley of factual nuggets and heartfelt pathos from the most in-the-know; a narrative that rightly levies a moral responsibility on us all. In a society where well-reasoned, expert-driven argument is often lost in a mire of misinformation, Greta Thunberg has collated the opinions of those who best understand the climate emergency: what it is, why does it exist and how can we circumvent the very worst outcomes. Dip into these digestible mini-essays and emerge with a refocused mind. Our planetary successors will certainly be thankful for our resurgence from a collective state of damaging and myopic inaction.

Review by James Bashford

By Dave Goulson

Whatever your imagination conjures up when you think of an 'insect apocalypse’, Dave Goulson convinces us that the reality will be ruinous to us all. Sadly, the tapering number of our beleaguered insects goes largely unnoticed by most – a fact this book admirably sets out to topple. Extolling the virtues of these myriad invertebrates, from ants to bees to beetles to moths, we learn how the bedrock of the animal food chain is crumbling as a result of human-driven carbon emissions, flagrant pesticide use and unsustainable Western lifestyles. As a springboard for change, Goulson’s inspirational rhetoric is simple. The hapless inevitability of our current predictions need not materialise, but first must come much greater respect for the importance and irreplaceability of insects.

Review by James Bashford

By Karen Armstrong

Since time immemorial human cultures have developed intricate spiritual relationships with the natural world, reflecting our ancestors’ appreciation for its innate value. While modernism has gradually stifled many of these ancient tenets, Karen Armstrong advocates strongly for their revitalisation. If you are curious how wanwu, de and ahimsa are relevant to all of us in our increasingly complex civilisation, then Sacred Nature duly imparts the sanctity and togetherness they engender. At its heart, this book urges you to re-evaluate your natural surroundings in a new light.

Review by James Bashford

By Amitav Ghosh

Emanating from the seemingly benign crash of a lamp on a 17th century island in the Banda archipelago (part of modern day Indonesia), Amitav Ghosh weaves a time-warping narrative of colonialism, exploitation and xenophobia. More astonishing than the historical atrocities themselves is how, Ghosh argues, this set the world on a path of natural decimation that has culminated in the climate crisis we face today. This book speaks to the inherent mysticism of Gaia’s wares, symbolised by the nutmeg, which continue to be viewed by profiteers as materialistic goods for sole consumption by humans. The take-home message for me is that our collective bullying of Nature must stop. It rests on a critical mass to provide Nature with a voice loud enough to stand up to the bullies, restoring once again its resilience and recuperative power.

Review by James Bashford

By Edward O. Wilson

The Half-Earth model sounds deceptively simple – all that is needed to alleviate the climate and biodiversity crises is split the planet’s land and ocean territories into two: half for humans and half for Nature to flourish without interference. If achieved, biodiversity loss would plateau at a tolerable level and at least 85% of species would survive. Even if one is only interested in an anthropocentric viewpoint, Nature’s refuge would work for our benefit in the only way it knows, filtering our skies, replenishing our oceans and restoring global ecological health. But how do you fairly divide the planet into thousands of pieces when worldwide policies, geography and opinions are so fragmented? It takes global unity. This is what E.O. Wilson clamours for in this absorbing account of a potential solution to the biggest threat to life in the last 66 million years.

Review by James Bashford

By Sue Stuart-Smith

I am not a gardener but I have always admired those who are and the welcoming, restful places they create. But what I hadn’t fully appreciated before reading The Well Gardened Mind was that a beautiful flowering garden reflects just a fraction of the benefit conferred. It is much more about the process of achieving that end result, knitting together much needed grit, devotion, knowledge and trust. What Sue Stuart-Smith crystallises so well is how the garden restores a pace of life that resonates with our evolutionary reliance on Nature. It gives the chance to make mistakes and go again the following year in the most non-judgmental yet educational of ways. Her career as a psychiatrist shines through the text, highlighting the biopsychosocial benefits of horticultural therapy. Even if my fingers do not become any greener in the near future, my mind already has.

Review by James Bashford

Open Access articles

Associations between Nature Exposure and Health: A Review of the Evidence - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021

Residential green space and air pollution are associated with brain activation in a social-stress paradigm - Nature 2022

Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing - Nature 2019

Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) and Nature Therapy: A State-of-the-Art Review - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2017

Visiting a forest, but not a city, increases human natural killer activity and expression of anti-cancer proteins - International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology 2008