Project
CONNATURALP
CONnecting NATURe and heALth in the ALPs
It is an innovative project aimed at promoting an integrated approach to protecting and enhancing the health of both ecosystems and humans, with the goal of developing strategies that contribute to the protection of both.
Through the One Health approach and a multidisciplinary partnership, CONNATURALP seeks to improve understanding of the relationships between ecosystem health, biodiversity, and human health by using Nature-based Therapies (NbTs).
The project therefore aims to:
- Identify specific parameters to measure the health status of ecosystems and the ecological footprint that NbTs have on biodiversity.
- Develop and implement clinical protocols to assess the effects of NbTs on vulnerable target groups.
- Create a common protocol for the implementation of NbTs.
- Investigate pro-environmental behaviours of patients involved and of citizens visiting parks and biosphere reserves.
Through communication and outreach activities, recommendations will be made available to support policies for improving biodiversity and, simultaneously, human health.
An Innovative Approach for Ecosystems and Human Health
Biodiversity conservation is approached through a new lens that links it to human health and systemic thinking, core elements of the One Health approach launched by the World Health Organization in 2008 and further emphasized after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Multidisciplinary and Cross-border Partnership
The heart of the project is an innovative collaboration that transcends geographical and disciplinary boundaries. Italian and Austrian partners from diverse fields — from scientific research to protected area management, from medicine to environmental psychology — work together to develop integrated and sustainable solutions.
Innovative Experimentation
CONNATURALP involves developing and implementing an integrated set of experimental activities in selected protected areas. Firstly, specific indicators will be identified and applied to measure biodiversity and ecosystem health, designed for easy field use to support sustainable management. Secondly, clinical protocols for Nature-based Therapies (NbTs) will be developed and tested, adapted to the needs of vulnerable populations, aiming to evaluate their effectiveness in improving health, well-being, and pro-environmental behaviors while minimizing negative impacts on ecosystems. Finally, a network of “living laboratories” will be created in protected areas, where the bidirectional effects of nature therapies on biodiversity — and vice versa — can be observed and demonstrated across the cross-border Alpine region.