Nature (forest) therapy takes place in a well-planned forest environment, where the participants use their physical senses to experience the environment by following the coach’s instructions, in order to relax physically and mentally.

Yangmingshan National Park was recently invited by the non-profit organization, Quiet Parks International (QPI), to become the first Urban Quiet Park in the world and to set up the Yangmingshan Menghuan Pond Trail as the first “Silent Mountain Trail” on June, 5, 2020. The mission of QPI is to protect the “natural tranquility” in national parks, metropolitan parks, and human communities around the world. Menghuan Pond will serve as a demonstration site for the protection of the natural soundscape. Teachers from elementary and middle schools around Yangmingshan are invited to participate in the project, making listening to the natural soundscape an outdoor learning activity.

In 2018, the Yushan National Park Headquarters also planned a series of activities for the entire family to visit the national park together. Activities included yoga to stretch the body and mind, tree-hugging, and walks to learn about the high-altitude plant and animal ecosystem in the Tataka Forest Trail. The purpose of these activities was to let people fully nourish their bodies and minds from the natural environment and further strengthen family ties in a happy atmosphere.

Professor Huang Chin-Fei and her research team from the Graduate Institute of Science Education and Environmental Education, National Kaohsiung Normal University, designated Kenting National Park as their research area. They used neuroscience equipment to explore whether the brain of the general public felt relaxed after appreciating the mountains and the sea in Kenting.

The results of the study showed that after people admired the mountains and the sea in Kenting, the brain wave data indicated that the brain was in fact relaxed. Through scientific evidence, this study directly confirmed that the Kenting National Park’s mountain and coastal environment can significantly help to reduce people's stress.

In 2021, the Kenting National Park Headquarters further collaborated with community partners and volunteer guides to design activities using the principles of the mountain and sea experience as therapy. The nature (forest) therapy activities have been incorporated into the “On a Date with the National Park” activity series.

From January to August, 2021, the Kenting National Park Headquarters will be launching a different theme for the mountain-sea therapy activities every month. Before the start and after the end of these activities, the research team will be using EEG scanning techniques, to check whether participation in the activity can achieve relaxation and stress relief. They will continue to record and track the results.

It is possible that not every participant will be able to fully immerse themselves in the nature (forest) therapy activities, for example, young children may not be able to concentrate on the lecture or observe the nature sounds as instructed, and instead play with the sand on the beach. But because the natural areas of the National Park are so inclusive, everyone can be accommodated at the same time. Therefore, the connection between individuals and nature will be strengthened whether they are engaged in the same activity or not.