The Environmental Health and Sustainable Development academic body of the University of Guadalajara in Mexico and Forest Therapy Hub entered into an unprecedented collaboration agreement.
Represented by María Guadalupe Garibay Chávez, PhD in Health Psychology, and Alex Gesse, Executive Director of FTHub, the institutions agreed to develop and advise on joint research projects and to design and implement the development of Forest Bathing, Environmental Health and Sustainable Development aimed at different audiences with specific needs.
Within this framework, the initial general project called « Forest Bathing for the Health and Well-being of the Population » is already being implemented, as a result of the collaborative work and the development of links between the institutions researchers.
Dr. Garibay Chavez, also an FTHub Forest Therapy Practitioner, is implementing Forest Bathing walks for older adults in Jalisco, and has also participated in the scientific review of the latest report published by FTHub « Standards for Key Strategies to Reduce Hazards, Mitigate Risk and Control Safety« .
The collaboration also involves joint publications, participation in training programs for professionals on topics of common interest, and advising and co-directing joint thesis work.
FTHub has also participated in the « I International Congress on Artistic and Cultural Heritage » organized by the University of Guadalajara, the INAH Jalisco Center and Arte Convergente Academia de Cultura e Historia del Arte AC, where it presented a paper at the shared table « Therapeutic Forest: Its Value and Importance as Natural Heritage for Social Benefit ».
This agreement is the foundation stone for the professionalization and implementation of nature-based well-being practices supported by science in this region of Mexico, thanks to the lively interest of professionals and researchers with a long trajectory in Nature, Health and Well-being.
