Outdoor Health: Caring for People and Planet
A Landmark Publication for the Outdoor Health Field
After years in the making, Outdoor Health: Caring for People and Planet is arriving! This Open Access book brings together 70 contributors from across the international outdoor health field in 31 comprehensive chapters – consolidating decades of practice wisdom, research evidence, and lived experience into one essential resource.
This is the book the field has been waiting for and it represents the volunteer efforts of over 100 people who are passionate about supporting nature-based health care, wellbeing and therapies.
70+ contributors
from around the world
31 chapters
of comprehensive content
FREE
open access for everyone
Who contributed
This book represents an extraordinary collaboration among:
- Experienced practitioners sharing frontline practice wisdom
- Researchers offering evidence and analysis
- People with lived experience of outdoor health
- International leaders from across the field
- Community partners demonstrating real-world impact
With 7 co-editors and 20 reviewers refining every chapter, this publication represents years of dedicated volunteer effort and deep commitment to advancing the outdoor health field.
Aboriginal Co-Creation
This book was developed in partnership with Aboriginal collaborators:
- Janice Ross, Aboriginal artist, designed the striking front cover
- Uncle Jimmy Everett, respected elder, wrote the foreword
- Jacob Prehn, academic social worker and practitioner, brought an Aboriginal and First Nations lens to the editorial team
These partnerships ensure the book honours Indigenous knowledge and perspectives throughout.
What’s Inside this Outdoor Health Book
The book addresses four key areas:
Practice & Quality
Approaches, philosophies, and methods that characterise outdoor health practice today.
Research & Evidence
Theoretical foundations and evidence that support outdoor health as a field.
Community & Engagement
Stories of collaboration and co-design across health, community, and clinical settings.
Policy & Advocacy
Guidance for safe, ethical practice and advocacy for greater access to outdoor health.
Free and Open Access
Here’s the best part: Thanks to generous funding from the Victorian Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions, this book will be freely available in electronic format to everyone, everywhere. No cost. No barriers.
Just knowledge shared openly.
Get Notified When It Launches
Don’t miss it! The book is launching soon. Register your interest and be among the first to know when it becomes available for download.
About Outdoor Health Australia
This book was coordinated by Outdoor Health Australia (OHA), a volunteer-led community of practitioners, researchers, and advocates working to advance outdoor health practice across Australia.
Learn more here about OHA membership and how you can support this work.
Outdoor Health: Caring for People and Planet – Coming soon as a free, open access resource.
