Health & nature: a critical review of historicalperspectives to support narratives for change
Miquel Amengual-Moreno, Lucinda Cash-Gibson, Laila Vivas, Eliana Martínez-Herrera, Adrián Almazán, Juan M. Pericàs & Joan Benach
2025
The ongoing ecosocial crisis threatens the health of our planet, as ecological boundaries are overreached and social needs remain unmet. Achieving health equity and sustainable development requires re-evaluating the interconnections between nature and health, including the social narratives shaping this relationship. The ways in which we construct and adopt these narratives—consciously or not—translates into different implications for research, policy and practice. This study critically analyses the historical evolution of how the health-nature relationship is conceptualised in the scientific literature, and classifies the different eco-social values and theoretical considerations embedded within each emerging perspective. By raising awareness of the diverse perspectives used and their implications for research, policy and practice, the findings aim to provide a conceptual guide for narratives that aim to drive change towards health equity and sustainable practices.
