What if some of today’s most persistent health challenges could be addressed not only in clinics and hospitals, but also beneath tree canopies, beside rivers, and through guided experiences in nature? That question sits at the center of NATURELAB, the Horizon Europe-funded research initiative testing structured nature-based interventions across Europe, and what facilitators are observing is already shaping how researchers and practitioners think about the role of forests and rivers in public health.
About NATURELAB
NATURELAB brings together 14 partners from across Europe and Latin America to investigate the therapeutic potential of forests, parks, riversides, and other green and blue spaces. The project aims to involve around 4,000 participants through tailored interventions addressing a wide range of health needs. Coordinated by Portugal’s Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil (LNEC), the initiative combines scientific research, environmental sustainability, and health innovation into a multidisciplinary framework.
As the project moves deeper into implementation, experimental sites across Europe are now actively guiding participants through weekly therapeutic programs designed around evidence-informed interaction with natural environments.
Two of these interventions currently underway in Germany and Portugal are offering an early look at how nature-based therapies may become part of future public health strategies.
Cologne, Germany: Forest Therapy for Stress and Eating Behavior
At Experimental Site #9 in Cologne, Germany, around 30 adults between the ages of 18 and 45 are currently midway through a 12-week intervention. The intervention is designed to address stress-induced impulsive eating behaviors, while the broader objective aims to reduce the prevalence of stress-related eating behaviors and support sustainable weight loss, improved metabolic health, and enhanced mental well-being.
Participants meet weekly for approximately one hour in a city forest to engage in sessions that combine forest therapy practices with sensory-based activities, mindfulness, and awareness exercises. Facilitators Susanne Meurer and Kinga Bik-Multanowska say that despite persistent rainy weather during the program, the experience has revealed how quickly participants begin to reframe their relationship with nature and with themselves.
Susanne explains:
“Today marks the halfway point of our NBI ES#9. The observations and experiences with the NBI participants have been remarkable and truly inspiring, despite the less-than-ideal weather. And yet, it is wonderful to see how participants are embracing this journey into nature, how they connect with it, and how even rain is transformed from something ‘unpleasant’ into an opportunity to explore nature with all the senses.”
She added that the structured methodology developed through Forest Therapy Hub has provided participants with a clear and accessible method for engagement:
“The exchange and sharing of experiences within the group is enriching and invites a meaningful shift in perspective. The standardized NBI structure with its five components from FTHub provides a clear framework that helps participants immerse themselves in nature through well-designed time and space windows. I am deeply impressed by the impact of the NBIs on the participants.”
Portugal: Forest Bathing With Adolescents by the Riverside
Meanwhile, in Portugal’s Foz do Neiva region, Experimental Site #5 is exploring how nature-based interventions can support adolescents. The program, led by experimental sites coordinators Rui Pedro Almeida and Rui Monteiro of Associação Rio Neiva – an environmental NGO working closely with local schools – brings together approximately 30 teenagers aged 12 to 17 in small groups for weekly Forest Bathing sessions conducted in riverside “blue space” environments.
Having started in April, the 12-session intervention is now also roughly at its midpoint. The sessions are specifically adapted to younger participants and focus on slowing down, sensory awareness, and meaningful interaction with the natural environment. Psychologist and facilitator Rita Pereira explains:
“Our Forest Bathing sessions with teenagers continue to remind us of both the challenge and the importance of creating spaces for genuine presence in today’s fast-paced world. Amid constant distractions, these moments of connection with nature invite young people to slow down, observe, and engage more deeply with themselves and their surroundings.”
She believes the effect even goes beyond the interventions themselves:
“While the impact is visible in some young people, we believe that for others its true significance may emerge later, as the seeds of awareness, connection, and belonging planted today continue to grow over time.”
Training Facilitators for a Scalable Model of Nature-Based Care
Beyond participant outcomes, NATURELAB is also focused on training facilitators and building a scalable framework for nature-based care across Europe.
For many facilitators, the implementation phase represents both professional development and personal growth. NatureLab Approach Facilitator Ariadni Limnaiou, from KMOP in Greece, states:
“Implementing nature-based interventions for the first time was both a challenge and a revelation. The NatureLab training gave me the foundation to adapt, observe, and respond — session by session — to the real and complex needs of my participants. Knowing that facilitators across Europe were going through the same process made the journey feel less solitary and far more meaningful.”
As NATURELAB advances through its multi-year research process, projects like ES#5 and ES#9 are helping translate theory into practice, demonstrating how carefully designed interactions with forests, rivers, and natural spaces may contribute to healthier and more resilient populations.
Further details on NATURELAB and FTHub’s active research projects are available on the FTHub Projects page.
Act now, enrolling in our Forest Bathing Guide Training and Forest Therapy Practitioner Training. Grow together, equipping you with essential skills to lead transformative experiences in nature.
FAQ
What is NATURELAB?
NATURELAB is a Horizon Europe-funded research project coordinated by Portugal’s LNEC. It brings together 14 partners from Europe and Latin America to study how structured nature-based interventions affect physical health, mental well-being, and long-term resilience, with the goal of involving around 4,000 participants.
What health conditions are the NATURELAB interventions targeting?
Current sites are addressing stress-induced eating behaviors in adults (Cologne, Germany) and attention difficulties, low self-esteem, and behavioral challenges in adolescents (Foz do Neiva, Portugal). The broader project covers a wide range of health needs across multiple European sites.
How does the FTHub Method fit into NATURELAB?
NATURELAB facilitators apply the FTHub Method and its 5 Components of Nature-Based Interventions as the structured framework guiding each session. This gives facilitators a replicable design for immersive, evidence-informed contact with natural environments.
Can forest bathing work with teenagers and young people?
The Portugal site at Foz do Neiva is specifically designed for adolescents aged 12 to 17. Early observations suggest that weekly Forest Bathing sessions in riverside environments help young people slow down, build sensory awareness, and engage more attentively with their surroundings — effects that coordinators expect may deepen over time.
