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As nature connection researchers, we're aware of the innumerable benefits of spending time outside in nature. We're also aware that, like so many other interactions, immersing oneself in nature is an experience that is now available virtually. In fact, virtual reality (VR) companies now promote VR nature as tools for corporate wellness.

Some universities have also added VR to staff or student services. When we learned that our staff association at University of Waterloo was offering a new wellness initiative linked to nature, our excitement faded upon realizing the initiative wasn't about real nature—such as encouraging staff members to take regular breaks to sit by the stream on campus, or to walk around nearby Columbia Lake—but VR nature.

Headsets would be available for use in libraries pre-loaded with the Nature Treks VR app, which lets users explore natural settings like beaches, greenery and oceans, choosing the time of day and the weather.

Waterloo is not the first institution to turn to such tools to support well-being. The McGill Student Wellness Hub similarly offers VR sessions with "Mindful Escapes," an app in which users can "embark on virtual journeys to serene landscapes, calming forests, ocean depths or mountain adventures."

VR nature appears to be a wellness trend.

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