New research commissioned by the Scottish Government and Nature Scot looks at the drivers of participation in the outdoors in Scotland.

With growing numbers of people visiting the outdoors & engaging with nature we wanted to better understand the motivations, enablers & barriers behind this trend.

This research has explored current attitudes to and behaviours towards outdoor recreation, and provided recommendations on how the increased participation observed since 2012 can be sustained over the long-term, with any barriers to participation among lower-participation and equalities groups overcome.

The outdoor activities people took part in fell into three broad categories: walking; outings (e.g. sightseeing/ visiting attractions); and other sports or fitness activities. Participation levels in these activities varied greatly, from occasionally going for a walk, at the lower end, through to committing substantial time, effort and oney on a regular basis to several different activities, at the higher end.

The research also looked at the motivations for starting participation in the outdoors, this included as a way of managing long term health conditions including being advised to do so by medical professionals. 

Find out more

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Greenspace is our natural health service.

greenspace scotland is working with NHS Lothian, Edinburgh & Lothians Health Foundation and a wide range of partners and stakeholders on the development and delivery of the Greenspace and Health Strategic Framework for Edinburgh & Lothians. This was published on 28 June 2019 and we believe it is the first Scottish health board-led Green Health Strategy.

read more about greenspace and health