Exploring how social policy can inform green social prescribing as an instrument for social justice and inclusion

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The proposed project will examine the underlying historical, socioeconomic and material causes of racialinequalities in access to nature, informing socially just and sustainable social policies in the UK. Researchhas found social, psychological and physical health benefits of spending time in nature, and green socialprescribing is a new form of social policy that has been shown to be successful in improving mental andphysical health. But there are social and structural inequalities when it comes to who has access to, andtherefore benefits from, nature. Access to nature in urban and rural areas differs by ethnicity, with useand access to green spaces varying significantly between Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic groups.The project will address barriers to accessing nature, and the uptake of green social prescribing, forpeople from a BAME background. The research questions will ask what causes these barriers and how dowe overcome them? What perspectives have been marginalised in the development of green socialprescribing (in knowledge and practice)? How do we decolonise our understanding of nature and who hasthe right to access it? A critical, interdisciplinary approach will be taken, using a combination ofqualitative methods, to explore the perspectives of members of the public, service providers, policymakers and other stakeholders.The outcomes of this research will inform the development of social policy recommendations directed atcurrent debates in UK government and the NHS, including the Environment Bill and the NHS Long TermPlan.