‍If nature connection supports wellbeing, belonging and care for the living world, the question is not whether we should design for it, but why we still so often leave it out. Many programmes and services already work on outcomes that nature can help strengthen: mental wellbeing, confidence, emotional regulation, skills development, employability, social connection and recovery from trauma. Yet nature connection is frequently absent. That feels like a missed opportunity for the people we serve and the ecological world we all depend on.

Many of us spend our lives slightly apart from nature. We move between buildings, screens, roads and routines focused on productivity, speed and consumption, while the natural world becomes background scenery rather than something we feel part of. For many people, this disconnection has become normal. But when nature is reduced to a backdrop, resource or occasional escape, we lose sight of something fundamental: that human wellbeing is inseparable from the health of the living systems around us. Research increasingly suggests that connecting with nature creates better mental wellbeing, stronger pro-environmental behaviour, and a greater sense of meaning and belonging