As nature-based health, science, and education continue to gain urgency and visibility across disciplines and societies, the IV Global Summit Science, Nature and Health could stand as a global catalytic node in a rapidly evolving field.
This year’s Summit introduces new elements that connect dialogue, practice, and collective learning in different ways: a series of Global Summit Talks designed as curated conversations among experts; a dedicated third day focused on strengthening global networks and long-term collaboration; and the opening of an applied training pathway through the Nature Ambassadors for Sustainable Change (NASC) initiative.
Hosted online by the Diputació de Barcelona and Forest Therapy Hub, with simultaneous translation in English and Spanish, plus professional subtitles in several languages, the Summit unfolds as a shared space where an increasingly diverse international community comes together to think, test, and shape the future of nature-based health.
The last Global Summit, held in April 2025, brought together more than 1,100 participants from over 70 countries, with 73 speakers representing 22 nations, offering a space where research, practice, and education could be considered side by side, across different contexts and professional cultures. The 2026 edition gathers over 60 speakers from more than 25 countries across five continents.
Global Summit Talks & Nature Connection Breaks
A defining feature is the introduction of the Global Summit Talks, a new format within the IV Global Summit conceived as curated dialogues that bring together some of the most influential experts in environmental health, psychology, medicine, and policy to engage in shared reflection on where the field is going and what it now requires.
These include:
- Puri Canals and Helena Freitas, reflecting on conservation, leadership, and the role of women in ecological and health transitions.
- Alex Gesse in dialogue with Phil Keech, exploring the evolution of nature-based interventions and professional practice.
- Carlos A. Faerron Guzman and Marta Pahissa, in a dedicated Global Summit Talk on Planetary Health, examining leadership and action in response to climate, ecological, and social challenges to translate scientific evidence into policy, prevention strategies, and nature-based solutions for healthier societies.
- Dr Mathew White and Dr Terry Hartig explore, from the perspectives of environmental psychology and health research, how outdoor experiences can be translated into tangible benefits for individuals, communities, and health systems, connecting scientific evidence with practical applications at a global scale.
- Melissa Lem and Jill Litt, engaging in a dialogue that bridges clinical practice and public health, exploring how nature prescription, health systems, and community-based approaches can move from evidence to implementation at scale.
- Giulia Catissi and Ruth Williamson, representing emerging scientific leadership and the future of research in health and nature.
Throughout both days and for the first time, the IV Global Summit will also include Nature Connection Breaks, woven into the programme as guided moments of pause and embodied experience, led by FTHub Forest Therapy Practitioners Marta Grabowska, Ana Read Beato, Manuela Renzi, Jessica Jurcak, Inga Dreimane and Rocío Ferraro.
Day 3: Global Networks and Future Leadership
Building on the scientific depth and dialogue of the previous days, the third day of the Summit expands the focus toward collective connection, shared learning, and long-term collaboration.
Hub Seedlings Global Network – Facilitated Networking, a session that activates participants as networked agents, celebrating intentional collaboration across disciplines, regions, and professional roles. Far from informal “breakout chats,” this is a facilitated process that nurtures shared interests, peer exchange, and collective project formation.
Led by The Hub Seedlings Network Director Erika Di Pasquale, this session embodies FTHub’s core belief: that sustainable impact emerges through sustained relationships and community intelligence.
Nature Ambassadors for Sustainable Change – Open Train-the-Trainer: Led by Manuela Renzi, this open session introduces the Nature Ambassadors for Sustainable Change (NASC) framework. It equips participants with methodological tools to cultivate youth leadership, community engagement, and nature-based resilience: opening pathways to further involvement in global collaborations linked to FTHub’s ecosystem.
Participants who engage with this session gain access to the NASC training pathway, strengthening bridges between education, empowerment, and systemic action.
Days 1 & 2: Deep Scientific Inquiry and Applied Practice
The first two days of the IV Global Summit Science, Nature and Health (April 15–16) bring together more than 20 modules featuring experts from across disciplines and continents.
Topics explored include:
· Nature-based solutions for health and urban wellbeing
· Forest Bathing and nature connection across the lifespan
· Mental health, aging, and end-of-life care
· Environmental psychology, education, and creativity
· Planetary health and systems thinking
· Evidence-based forest therapy and nature-based interventions
Speakers include researchers and practitioners with international experience from leading institutions such as ISGlobal, the Planetary Health Alliance, universities across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. A breadth of content, diversity of voices, and depth of integration, mirroring how the field has moved from isolated practices to shared frameworks, from anecdotal discourse to empirical grounding, from episodic events to sustained, living networks, from knowledge transmission to knowledge co-creation.
Please register here.
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共同成长，掌握打造深度自然体验的核心技能。
