Healing campuses: Implementing Nature-Based Interventions to Promote University Student Mental Health and Wellbeing

Innovative and accessible strategies are needed to address mental health burden among university students. Nature-based interventions (NBIs), which involve therapeutic activities conducted in nature spaces, are emerging to promote student wellbeing on university campuses. This review examined the range of NBIs implemented within universities and their reported benefits using a systematic search and narrative synthesis methodology. Evidence was searched from database inception to August 2026, identifying twelve studies representing eleven trials across five countries. Interventions involved forest therapy (n=5), mindfulness-based programs (n=4) adapted for outdoor campus settings, and therapeutic horticulture interventions (n=3). Evidence suggests that forest therapy is associated with reductions in stress and anxiety and improvements in mood, attention and overall wellbeing. Nature-integrated mindfulness programs were linked to reduced depressive symptoms, rumination, stress and anxiety, alongside enhanced wellbeing, mindfulness and connection to nature. Preliminary evidence suggests on campus therapeutic horticulture interventions may be associated with improvements in anxiety among university students and represent an accessible and affordable way to build nature and social connection. While findings are promising, evidence remains limited and of weak quality, highlighting the need for further robust research on implementation and sustainability within university contexts.