Health from nature

The national Health from Nature programme was launched in March 2026. The aim of the programme is to increase people’s exposure to nature in Finland and, through this, reduce the burden caused by non-communicable diseases and increase wellbeing.

In practice, this means that people in Finland would be exposed more than they are now to the positive health effects of nature in their everyday lives, for example in the yards of day-care centres and schools, in workplaces and in care environments.

The Health from Nature programme has been launched. Read more about the Health from Nature programme on its website.

Nature supports our health and well-being in many ways. Easy access to nature protects against depression, relieves stress and improves mood, among others. Nearby urban forests and green spaces help prevent cardiovascular diseases and possibly even respiratory diseases, including asthma and allergies.

If the positive health effects of nature reached our citizens extensively, Finland could curb the costs of endemic diseases to society and increase well-being.

This was discovered in a Sitra-funded study conducted by the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). According to calculations, if people connect more with nature, Finland could get annual benefits of up to hundreds of millions of euros in the prevention of depression and type 2 diabetes alone, as well as in the use of asthma medication.

This is an important and topical issue as the physical condition, work ability and functional capacity of Finns have deteriorated. At the same time, public health care is struggling amid a funding crisis.

In the study, researchers of Luke and THL proposed the establishment of a national nature health programme. The programme would integrate the health benefits of nature into Finns’ daily lives and social welfare and health care.

Surveys show that Finns widely recognise the health benefits of nature. In the recent Nature Barometer (in Finnish), almost all the respondents felt that nature contributes to people’s health and well-being. As many as 97% of the respondents agreed with this statement.

Based on this, the nature health programme has now proceeded from an idea to concrete preparation. It is inspired by the National Allergy Programme (2008–2018), which delivered significant health and economic benefits for a relatively small financial investment.

The programme is coordinated by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). The work is supported by a coordination group comprising Sitra, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke), the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, the Allergy, Skin and Asthma Federation, Filha ry, MIELI Mental Health Finland, the Finnish Lung Health Association, the Age Institute, the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, the City of Vantaa and Metsähallitus Parks & Wildlife Finland.

Sitra led the preparation of the programme and acted as the funder during its initial phase. Sitra actively supports the planning and implementation of the programme’s initial phase.