“Nature for All”
A panel series by UNature × Maison du développement durable
In the winter of 2025, UNature, in collaboration with the Maison du développement durable, organized the panel series “Nature for All”, dedicated to addressing inequalities in access to nature.
Through this initiative, UNature sought to create a space for dialogue by giving a voice to individuals and groups who are still too often underrepresented in these conversations — including people living with disabilities, visible minorities, and older adults. The objective was to better understand their lived realities, the barriers they face, and the conditions needed to enable their access to nature.
These discussions brought together practitioners, organizations, and individuals directly concerned, allowing concrete issues related to physical, social, and cultural barriers to emerge. They also helped identify pathways for action based on lived experiences and existing initiatives.
At the heart of these exchanges was a shared understanding: access to nature plays a vital role in health, well-being, and quality of life. For many, being deprived of this connection represents an often invisible reality, yet one with very real impacts.
UNature warmly thanks all speakers who contributed to the richness of these three discussions:
“Accessibility and Nature: Challenges and Solutions for People Living with Disabilities”
Élisabeth Lavigueur (Vice-President, Audition Québec)
Sidiki Diarra (Land Use Planning Advisor, MRC des Maskoutains)
Fadihla Rachedi (Volunteer, INCA Foundation)
Krystiane Hamel (Specialized Practitioner)
“Artists from Visible Minorities: Allies for an Inclusive and Equitable Ecological Transition”
Jimmy Philémond-Montout (Executive Director, Diversité Artistique Montréal; Producer and Screenwriter)
Diogo Ramos (Artist and Activist)
Désirée Nzamba (Sustainability Business Advisor)
“How to Increase Older Adults’ Access to Green Spaces”
Josée Bellemare (Executive Director, Botanical Garden – Espace pour la Vie)
Pierre Paul Audate (Assistant Professor, Université de Montréal)
Olivier Bonnet (Executive Director, Le Chez-Nous de Mercier-Est)