About — INPA

We’re connecting the world to better health through nature.

Mission

The International Nature Prescribing Alliance (INPA) is a global community of health and allied organizations working to scale up nature prescribing worldwide.

A person seen from behind, looking up at tall trees in a forest

What is Nature Prescribing?

Nature prescribing occurs when a healthcare professional issues a written directive to a patient to spend time in nature, individually or in a group setting, to promote health, prevent disease, and support overall physical and mental well-being.

A grandfather and grandson walking together along a forest path

Approach

INPA is a physician-led organization with world-leading expertise in health, nature and biodiversity, social prescribing and sustainable healthcare. Through network building, curated resources and expert-led events, we’re advancing community and planetary health — one prescription at a time.

Created to meet demand from health professionals and organizations around the world for a convenor and accelerator of the nature prescribing movement, INPA is hosted by the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care, Canada’s premier network dedicated to advancing environmentally sustainable health care.

Research indicates that nature prescribing is an effective way to improve mental and physical health, decreasing disease burden and the associated ecological footprint of the healthcare sector. It also shows that people across the lifespan engage in more pro-environmental behaviours when they’re more nature-connected.

Expanding nature prescribing globally is therefore a uniquely powerful way to simultaneously improve community health, reduce healthcare system emissions, waste and pollution, and shift values in favour of environmental protection and sustainability.

Guiding Principles

Equity

Nature prescribing most effectively improves community health when it reduces health inequities. We put care into ensuring our work supports the health and wellbeing of those who need it most, and advocate for nature-rich cities and breaking down barriers to nature access.
Evidence-Informed

INPA’s work builds on a foundation of thousands of peer-reviewed studies published at the intersection of nature, biodiversity and health, as well as traditional knowledge systems that have understood these vital interconnections since time immemorial.
Reciprocity

Nature prescribing cannot exist without nature. We commit to advancing action to conserve ecosystems and support planetary health to safeguard current and future generations of life on earth.
Respect

INPA operates across continents and cultures, which have myriad traditions for connecting with the land, water, plants and animals. We honour and respect these ways of doing and being.