It’s been a year of consolidation for the FTHub, as its work took shape across practice, research and global collaboration. 2025 also marked ten years of life for the organisation, a milestone that invites a broader reading of its evolution and the leading position it now occupies in the field.
The FTHub expanded its presence in key international forums, advanced multi-country research projects and strengthened its training ecosystem with new formats and regions. This recap brings together the milestones, the evolution of research leadership and the expansion of nature-based programs that defined the year and set the direction for what comes next.
We also want to acknowledge the people who make this network possible. Those who bring curiosity, commitment, dialogue and support to every step forward: students, trainers, faculty members, and the associated professional network.
Milestones Across Regions
NATURELAB Project. The capacity-building phase began with 600 professionals trained across 15 sites, reaching 4,000 participants. The Training Weaves started in October 2025 and will run until October 2026.
Barcelona Therapeutic Landscapes. Field visits and co-design processes with Diputació de Barcelona advanced 14 trails toward certification through the Therapeutic Landscapes Consultant framework, integrating accessibility, ecological integrity, visitor experience and community wellbeing. This is based on a training consolidated diagnostic tools, scientific criteria and design methods into a 50–60-hour self-paced program supporting forest, garden, trail and blue-space projects.
Pediatric Practitioner Training. A specialised training at the Public Hospital of Pamplona brought forest therapy into pediatric healthcare.
NAT-CARE Project. Our last joint project of the year, in which we are developing training for healthcare professionals on continued progress in nature prescription and methodological criteria for health and social care systems.
III Global Summit. More than 1,100 participants from 70+ countries and 73 speakers set the stage this year and prepares for the IV edition once again co-organised with Diputació de Barcelona.
Summer Schools. Barcelona and Vancouver programs grew in scope and disciplinary diversity; 2026 expands to Vancouver and Barcelona, New Hampshire and Oceans, in the Azores, strengthening partnerships with UBC MINT, Diputació de Barcelona and Plymouth University.
Castel Gandolfo. FTHub contributed to the Moral Leadership in a Volatile World program at the Laudato Si’ Center, bringing nature-based perspectives into conversations on ethics, sustainability and integral ecology.
Taiwan: Science, Neuroecology, and Work on the Ground. In Taiwan, FTHub blended congress participation, expert meetings, and PHorestAll field assessments, adding contributions to a documentary on neuroscience and nature. The work reinforced Taiwan’s role as a key partner in advancing neuroecology and evidence-based practice.
China: Forest Therapy Through a Planetary Health Lens. In Fuzhou, FTHub joined the Maritime Silk Road Conference, presenting a synthesis of forest therapy, public health, climate resilience, and community wellbeing. Projects such as NATURELAB and PHorestAll framed the vision shared with researchers and policy leaders.
Global Congresses and Scientific Dialogue
FTHub’s journey through Vancouver, Korea, Taiwan, China, Spain, Brazil and Germany, the work carried out, the collaborations built and the projects shared along the way:
Barcelona – World Mental Health Day. With RECETAS, ISGlobal and Horizon Europe projects, FTHub highlighted nature-based and social approaches for reducing loneliness, presenting the FTHub 5 Components of Nature-based Interventions as a shared research framework.
ISFT Congress (Germany). Presentations included the NASC project, youth engagement initiatives and standards for nature-based interventions, alongside the Back to Nature project on addiction prevention.
Brazil. At the First Brazilian Meeting on Planetary Health, FTHub connected nature-based practice with planetary health challenges and multi-sector cooperation.
Vancouver. The 5 Components served as a shared language for training and research dialogue; updates were given on NATURELAB and PHorestAll.
Korea – WFoFT 2025. FTHub presented NASC (EU-funded, with Resilience Earth), the portfolio of EU projects including NATURELAB, and facilitated a Forest Therapy Interventions Workshop, outlining how evidence translates into practice across cultures.
Research Leadership and Emerging Pathways
2025 marked a shift from research as a framework to research as a driving force, expanding EU collaborations, deepening international partnerships, and strengthening a methodology that is increasingly shaping how multiple sectors understand nature-based health.
PHorestAll Project. Investigating forest-emitted compounds, biodiversity and soil microbiomes, with FTHub delivering 60 forest therapy sessions across seasons and regions.
NASC. Expanding youth leadership from Spain to Portugal, supporting climate resilience, blue-space regeneration and community wellbeing.
Back to Nature. Nature-based approaches for addiction prevention through youth-led research and transnational training in Slovenia and Serbia.
GreenTouch. A digital wellbeing tool for university settings reached its final evaluation stage.
Stronger Capacity and a Global Learning Rhythm
A year for diversified formats, new languages and a weekly structure of online sessions across time zones. The unified methodology now operates with greater continuity and deeper support for participants in Asia, Australia, Europe and the Americas.
FTHub also expanded its FTHub also expanded its international team, reinforcing capacity and cultural diversity. Sofia Aivalioti (International Projects Director, Greece) and Susana Guerreiro (Project Management, Portugal) joined the established management team of Betty Fang (Capacity Building & Content Coordinator, China), Sonia Juárez (Spain), Inga Dreimane (Latvia), Rocío Ferraro (Argentina), Nevin Harper (Canada), Marta Grabowska (Poland), Manuela Renzi (Italy), and Alex Gesse (Spain), together with Erika DiPasquale (USA) as Hub Seedlings Director, strengthening a distributed, high-capacity structure.
Australia: the blended training format launched, combining online learning with 3-day immersions.
Portugal & Brazil: the Portuguese-language blended system integrated online study with two immersions in each country and cycles of live sessions and digital tools.
New Courses for a Broader Learning Continuum
Forest Bathing Introduction Course. Eight modules offering research-supported tools for attention, stress and emotional regulation, grounded in everyday nature-connection habits.
Nature Connection Specialist. A four-module program providing foundational skills for designing safe, meaningful and context-aware nature-connection activities.
Therapeutic Landscapes Consultant. A science-based pathway for practitioners designing health-supportive outdoor environments.
FTHub closes 2025 as an evolving ecosystem committed to scientific rigor, collaboration and the responsible development of nature-based interventions. Across continents, disciplines and communities, the work carried out this year clarifies the field and expands the interconnected ground from which the next phase of nature-based practice can grow with substance and direction.
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