The Healthy Ecosystems, Healthy People Initiative

We are dedicated to advancing the understanding and awareness of the feasibility and long-term benefits of ecological restoration for both human health and the ecosystems in which we live and upon which we depend.

We are not a funding organization; instead, we serve as a bridging organization, connecting practitioners, scientists, researchers, and policymakers from the ecological restoration, public health, and allied sectors to foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, and collective action. We are developing a global network of sites, hubs, and regional projects and initiatives to advance the science and practice of ecological restoration through holistic approaches that integrate ecological and social goals, with a particular focus on human health and well-being.

In 2025, EHN will launch the Healthy Ecosystems, Healthy People Initiative to help establish a robust evidence-base demonstrating how ecological restoration enhances human health. This initiative will support the development of actionable recommendations and strategies to position ecological restoration as a vital and recognized public health intervention. By fostering transdisciplinary collaborations between ecological restoration, public health, and allied sectors across diverse bioregions and continents, we will leverage existing datasets and support new gold-standard research, including randomized controlled trials.

The EHN global action network will provide a platform for member organizations, institutions, and restoration sites to collaborate, secure funding, and exchange knowledge to activate pilot projects that contribute to the growing evidence base by demonstrating measurable health benefits from ecological restoration. Through targeted communication and capacity-building efforts, the initiative will also work to actively drive the integration of ecological restoration into public health practices and policy frameworks.

We are currently seeking to build partnerships with organizations and individuals who share our values and goals. Organizations can participate by joining workshops, engaging in research projects, advocating for policy changes, collaborating on funding applications, and raising awareness about the health benefits of ecological restoration. They can contribute technical expertise, resources, and support demonstration projects that showcase the positive impacts of restoration on health outcomes. Participants are now invited to join this growing global action network to improve the health and sustainability of ecosystems and of the people dependent upon them.

For more information, please contact us at [email protected].