PaRx: Canada’s National Nature Prescription Program
PaRx (short for Park Prescriptions) is Canada’s first national nature prescription program, led by the BC Parks Foundation. It is built on a simple but powerful idea: nature is the “fourth pillar” of health, alongside diet, exercise, and sleep.
The program allows licensed healthcare providers—including doctors, nurses, and psychotherapists—to formally prescribe time in nature as part of a patient’s treatment plan.
How Nature Prescriptions Work
Prescriptions are personalized. They may range from sitting quietly on a park bench to hiking forest trails, depending on the patient’s needs and abilities.
Registered providers use a unique code to log prescriptions. Studies show written prescriptions are more effective at driving behavior change than verbal advice alone.
Reducing Barriers to Nature
A key goal of PaRx is to make nature more accessible by removing financial and logistical barriers.
- Free Park Access: Partnerships such as Parks Canada Discovery Pass provide entry to 80+ national parks and historic sites.
- Local Access: Collaborations with organizations like Conservation Halton and TRCA support access to regional trails and conservation areas.
- Unique Experiences: Prescriptions may include cultural and educational nature experiences such as the Canadian Museum of Nature.
National Impact
Since launching in 2020, PaRx has expanded across all 10 Canadian provinces and gained endorsement from the Canadian Medical Association and recognition from the World Health Organization.
As of early 2026, over 19,000 healthcare professionals have registered, issuing an estimated 1.5 million prescriptions.
Beyond treating conditions like anxiety and cardiovascular disease, PaRx aims to foster a deeper cultural connection to the environment—encouraging a generation of “nature connectors.”