In an urbanized, digitalized 21st century, these experiences offer rare opportunities for nature connection, and stewardship of our shared landscapes.
ENOS brings together practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and industry to shape a European model for outdoor sports, one that protects access to nature while promoting sustainability, inclusion, and social well-being.
Across Europe, strategies and policies vary widely, and many remain fragmented. By linking research, policy, and practice, ENOS ensures that local insights inform European frameworks and that European priorities translate into tangible action on the ground.
This section of our website explores how outdoor sports address Europe’s key challenges — from health and social inclusion to environmental conservation, regional development, education, innovation, and sustainable tourism. Each theme reflects our core mission: to advance outdoor sports and recreation for the benefit of people, communities, and nature.
Why Outdoor Sports and Recreation Matter ?
(Re)connecting People with Nature Through Outdoor Sports
In today’s urbanized, technology-driven society, the human connection with nature is under unprecedented pressure. Cities expand, digital life dominates, and many people experience nature only through screens. Yet, our well-being, social cohesion, and environmental stewardship depend on a healthy relationship with the living world. Outdoor sports offer a unique and powerful pathway to restore this connection, fostering physical, emotional, and cultural bonds with nature.
1. Restoring the Human–Nature Relationship
Global reports, including IPBES assessments, highlight that humanity’s current relationship with nature is unbalanced, often exploitative, and disconnected from ecological realities. Outdoor sports provide a direct, experiential way to engage with natural environments. Activities such as hiking, climbing, cycling, or kayaking immerse participants in landscapes that inspire awe, reflection, and a sense of responsibility toward the living world.
2. Emotional and Cognitive Benefits of Nature Immersion
When individuals exert themselves physically in natural settings, they experience unique emotional “nature moments” — a mix of effort, presence, and connection. These experiences strengthen empathy toward the environment, foster mindfulness, and support mental health. Outdoor sports are therefore not only recreational; they are transformative, creating lasting impressions that shape attitudes and behaviors toward nature.
3. A European Model of Access and Responsibility
ENOS promotes a vision of outdoor sports that is distinctly European: one that does not treat nature as a resource to be exploited, but as a shared space for recreation, reflection, and learning. By advocating for inclusive access, we encourage citizens to experience and care for natural spaces, reinforcing a model of social welfare in which well-being is closely linked to environmental stewardship.
4. Outdoor Sports as a Vector for Societal Benefits
Beyond individual well-being, outdoor sports strengthen communities and promote social cohesion. They create shared experiences across generations and social groups, encourage volunteerism, and embed values of respect, collaboration, and responsibility. They also provide an arena where local, regional, and European strategies for environmental and social sustainability intersect in meaningful ways.
5. Aligning Practice with Global Challenges
In a century marked by climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequalities, outdoor sports are more than leisure activities. They are a tool to reconnect society with natural systems, fostering a cultural shift toward sustainability, resilience, and responsible interaction with the environment. ENOS supports organizations and stakeholders in translating these practices into measurable societal and environmental impact, ensuring that outdoor sports contribute to a positive, regenerative relationship between humans and nature.
”Outdoor sports are a living bridge between people, communities, and nature — offering joy, health, and stewardship. Explore how ENOS empowers stakeholders to transform this vision into action.
