As a part of the treatment regimens for chronic and debilitating illnesses, doctors in Shetland are prescribing remedies such as bird watching, walking on the beach and trekking through forests. Helen Moncrieff, the area manager for The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, says, “There is so much evidence that nature is good for us, and this is a simple way to get people outdoors and experiencing nature in a city or a wilder place like Shetland.” Doctors now hand out leaflets of birds, plants and routes for their patients to walk. “The physical and mental benefits of connecting with nature have been very well evidenced by numerous studies,” Makena Lohr, spokesperson for the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare in Oxford, said. “It’s high time that the healthcare sector became aware of that.”