Better greener
Green space does a lot to make Adelaide a better place to live. As we keep developing our city, we need to ensure that quality green space is available to all.
The Department for Environment and Water
Healthy Parks Healthy People SA
A large amount of research has demonstrated the strong connections between contact with nature and human health and wellbeing, including physical and psychological health, and social and cultural wellbeing.
The Department for Environment and Water and the Department for Health and Wellbeing (DHW) have a long-standing relationship around many issues, and a history of successfully collaborating on a number of policy areas of mutual interest.
The aim of this Public Health Partnership is to set out the parameters for collaboration between DEW and DHW, and provides a basis for DEW and DHW to work in partnership to build public value of parks in South Australia, and improve the health and wellbeing of populations through a combination of broad policies, programs and targeted initiatives.
Key outcome
A key outcome of this partnership has been the development and implementation of the Healthy Parks Healthy People SA (HPHPSA) approach. HPHPSA is a nature-based approach for simultaneously improving population health and environmental outcomes - enabling the environment and health sectors to work more closely together and focus resources towards implementing innovative approaches to health and wellbeing and conservation.
Healthy Parks, Healthy People South Australia Framework
The framework Healthy Parks, Healthy People South Australia 2021-2026: Making Contact with Nature, Second Nature (PDF 5.7MB) sets out seven focus areas:
- promoting physical activity in nature
- mental health benefits of contact with nature
- promoting the cultural value of Country for Aboriginal health and wellbeing
- community health and wellbeing in a changing climate
- childhood development and nature
- green infrastructure and urban settings, and biodiversity, conservation and human health
- biodiversity, conservation and human health.
The Healthy Parks Healthy People SA information sheet (PDF 438KB) provides a short summary of the framework.
Action plans
Since the start of the Healthy Parks Healthy People SA program, action plans have been developed to support the work, guided by a leadership group co-chaired by the Director of Green Adelaide and the Executive Director, Prevention and Population Health Directorate, Wellbeing SA.
Further information about the action plans and focus areas includes:
- Mental Health Benefits of Contact with Nature
- Connection to Country
- Green Infrastructure and Urban Settings (Quality Green Public Space)
