Authored by Prof Conny Guell

As part of our role as World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre on Natural Environments and Health, we recently co-designed and co-delivered an autumn school together with Matthias Braubach and Sinaia Netanyahu at the WHO European Centre for Environment and Health, Germany.

The WHO Bonn School aimed to support the establishment of leaders for environment and health at the national level by fostering interdisciplinary knowledge exchange and multisectoral action through study projects and in-depth training modules on nature, biodiversity, health and well-being.

It also hoped to support evidence-based decision-making processes and the consideration of natural environment impacts on communities – including vulnerable groups.

Over five weeks in October and November 2025, we delivered the curriculum together with world-leading experts across 12 institutions and 9 European countries. The course was attended by 34 people from 28 countries across Europe and Central Asia.

A core objective of the course was to strengthen understanding of the interlinkages between nature and health through the latest scientific evidence. This included building knowledge of the importance of nature for human health and well-being, understanding the risks that environmental change and nature degradation can pose to human health, and exploring what can be done to mitigate these risks.

We unfolded health outcomes through the interlinkages between nature, climate change and pollution, discussed the applicability of nature and health in approaches and concepts such as ‘One Health’, nature-based solutions, and planetary health and highlighted why and how nature and health is relevant to health systems.

During the course, participants developed group proposals to integrate health considerations into national strategies and action plans on nature and biodiversity. Collectively, their projects highlighted nature-based solutions as vital for protecting public health and strengthening health systems.

They also explored how healthy ecosystems – such as wetlands, forests, and urban green and blue spaces – were shown to reduce floods, heatwaves, pollution, and disease, whilst also lowering risks of heat-related, waterborne, vector-borne, and non-communicable diseases.

By improving air and water quality and supporting mental well-being, nature-based solutions can reduce healthcare demand and enhance community resilience. Proposals also promoted health system strengthening through green infrastructure, capacity building on climate and environmental health, and early warning and response systems.

Emphasising the One Health approach, participants called for cross-sector collaboration to prevent zoonotic diseases and sustain biodiversity. Equity was central to the participants’ projects, ensuring vulnerable populations benefit from access to clean environments and reduced pollution. Finally, teams proposed monitoring frameworks to track nature–health outcomes and guide adaptive policies.

Overall, the projects underscored that investing in nature is a cost-effective, equitable public health strategy to prevent disease, promote well-being, and build resilience to climate and environmental challenges.

A course attendee commented, “It’s engaging, practical, and really opens your eyes to how closely nature and human health are connected. I loved the teamwork and discussions, they made complex topics easy to understand and super relevant to real life. It’s one of those courses that changes how you see the world around you.”

We acknowledge the financial support provided by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.