We have a problem. Young people are reporting sharply increasing levels of mental health worries. School outdoor time has halved in a generation. And over two thirds of our children are worried about the world they’re inheriting – with good reason. At the same time, we’re sitting on a solution that works. 

Nature is not a nice-to-have. It’s medicine. The evidence is clear and unambiguous: children who spend time in natural spaces have better mental health, stronger immunity, improved attention, and deeper resilience. They’re calmer, healthier, and more connected to the world around them.

But access to nature is becoming a privilege, not a right. The children who need it most – those in deprived areas facing the greatest pressures – are the least likely to get it. We know this, because we see it every day. At ZSL, we watch children come alive when they meet a tiger for the first time, spot a heron on the canal path, or crouch to examine a trail of ants. We see how quickly curiosity sparks, how questions tumble out, how imaginations switch on. We know that connection to nature can happen in a single moment – and we know how powerful that moment can be.

As an international conservation charity with two leading zoos and a global network of field projects, we are uniquely placed to understand this is not sustainable, and it is not fair. We cannot build a generation that’s disconnected from the natural world and expect them to care enough to save it.  

The stakes could not be higher. We know green prescribing could save the NHS over £635m a year if rolled out to 1.2m people – so imagine the long-term benefit to our health system if we embedded nature access for all nine million children in UK schools. Early positive experiences with wildlife and green spaces build lasting values of stewardship, respect, and responsibility. The children who climb trees today will vote on climate policy tomorrow.