As nature-based approaches to mental health and wellness continue to gain traction as part of mainstream solutions to global mental health issues, there is growing commitment to how these approaches could be implemented equitably given historical disparities in nature access for Black, Indigenous, Latine, and other communities of color. 

 Despite barriers to mainstream access nature-based approaches to mental health and wellness, Black, Indigenous, Latine, and other communities of color have long legacies of land and plant traditions that specifically engage with these histories of marginalization and adapt practices in the face of ongoing health disparities and emergent mental health challenges as a result of continued structural violence and social exclusion. Intergenerational land and plant-based healing and community resilience practices have strong traditions and contribute to community cohesion, healing from trauma, and maintaining strength in the face of ongoing adversity. These practices have important adaptive histories in urban contexts, where there are high intersecting needs related to trauma and stressors, exposures to violence, criminalization, intergenerational inequities, and co-occurring substance use and mental health issues. 

This project is part of Dr. Lopez’s work on IN-PLACE, funded by UMD’s Grand Challenge Grant Program.