Human-nature Connection Research Articles

Community, pastoralism, landscape: Eliciting values and human-nature connectedness of forest-related people

Globally, around 0.78 billion rural people live in close proximity to forests and have been considered “forest-dwelling” and/or “forest dependent”. Forest dependency has so far been mainly studied in material terms, while the non-material relationships to forests have been addressed less frequently. To fill this gap, the general objective of this study is to assess forest-dwelling people’s relationship to their community, their livestock, and their forest landscapes through a relational values and human-nature connectedness lens. Using the Zagros mountains in Iran as a case study, we conducted individual interviews with 35 villagers who live within forest landscapes and that are engaged in pastoral activities. Emerging themes were identified and categorized by qualitative analysis. We found that forest dwellers emphasized a complex array of values that relate to their community, their livestock, and their landscapes. These values included experiential, emotional, cognitive, and philosophical dimensions of human-nature connectedness. Respondents expressed an erosion of values and practices related to community, livestock, and landscapes and articulated very few positive visions for the future of these values and practices. We conclude that participatory processes and tools may be valuable for empowering forest-dwelling people to identify pathways toward a desirable future. We encourage landscape conservation strategies to become socially inclusive by considering people’s deep relational values and their landscape stewardship practices.

Psychological and physical connections with nature improve both human well-being and nature conservation: A systematic review of meta-analyses

Despite growing evidence that “connectedness” of humans with nature creates multiple benefits for both humans and nature, these benefits are not fully considered by health and conservation policymakers. Studies are scattered across scientific disciplines including health, education, psychology and biology, making it difficult to get a complete overview. Here, we conduct a systematic review, focused on recent meta-analyses that investigate impacts of psychological and/or physical connection with nature on human health and well-being and on attitudes and actions that promote nature conservation. By “psychological connection” we mean the extent to which people see themselves as part of nature and by “physical connection” we mean contact with natural areas. We identified 16 relevant meta-analyses covering 832 independent studies. We found consistent conclusions across geographically diverse experimental studies that physical connection with nature improved human cognition, social skills, physical and mental health, and psychological connection to nature. Experiments also showed that psychological connection with nature had significant positive impact on pro-environmental behaviors and values. Correlational studies supported experimental results and, in addition, found psychological connection with nature positively correlated with mental and physical health. Studies are biased toward adults rather than children and away from southern regions (Africa, Oceania and South America). Overall, our review suggests a critical role for psychological and physical human-nature connections in developing a sustainable future. Although experimental studies are rare, conducting cross-cultural experimental research is needed if governmental and non-governmental stakeholders, researchers and citizens are to develop appropriate actions toward achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Being in nature

This paper presents core findings of the explorative research study on individuals’ living experiences in nature using Moustakas’ (1990) qualitative method of heuristic inquiry. One-on-one interviews were conducted with six co-researchers between the ages of 29–59, lasting between 75–105 minutes, from which several shared themes emerged. Co-researchers revealed how personal difficulties in their lives gave rise to a desire to go into nature to find healing. Nature was deemed to be non-judgemental and provide space for feelings to surface, be acknowledged and integrated, creating the possibility for healing and spiritual growth. Nature was perceived as healer and teacher, providing the opportunity to discover a sense of oneness and connection with nature and the self. This also promoted some degree of altruism and an increase in the intrinsic aspirations of the co-researchers. There was a consensus that language cannot adequately express nature and transformational experiences. Understanding the dichotomy of human and nature as separate appears to be a key step in the journey, resulting in the realisation of our commonality and connection. Results indicate that human-nature connection is essential and intrinsic in human beings and the research findings illustrate the potential psychological, physiological, physical, and spiritual benefits.

Rethinking greening the building façade under extreme climate: Attributes consideration for typo-morphological green envelope retrofit

• There is a need for a systematic approach to greening the built habitat. • Concepts co-relating health and green infrastructure are included in the framework. • We developed a systemic dimensional thinking for green-health-wellbeing in community. • The criteria comprise within the environment-social factors. • The systemic framework can be used for urban planning and assessment. Overpopulated cities have practiced trading available land for the necessary livelihood resources, depleting accessible green assets in the densely developed urban habitat. Facing climate change as a risk multiplier, cities must reckon for alternative mitigation strategies. This study ascertains that green has proven to increase one's psychological well-being, it is also one of the most important factors to intercede the effects of air pollution and temperature. For communities necessitating viable green resources, the addition of vertical greening retrofit on building façade can satisfy the need as an intermediary media to engage meaningful interaction with the urban green-scape. Thus, proper urban planning must re-think how to incorporate these measures for public health consideration. The assessment of these criteria is important to accomplish the planning of vertical green to enhance the residents’ well-being state. A central focus is placed on the benefits to health and wellbeing and the increase in physical activity and social interaction at the neighborhood scale. This article presents the systemic analysis to vertical green-scape attainment in central Taipei, allowing the locality and place to be incorporated into the exploration framework. The case studies presented in this paper focuses on analytical exploration of vertical green-scape attainment framework with the sub-tropic Taipei in mind. The attributes assessment framework is established; the research concludes that: (1) in line with human-nature connection and raising its priority level within both design research and design practice should consider the environmental, social, economic and spatial criteria for the design thinking exploration; (2) the analysis confirmed that desired green-scape could be attained either indoor or outdoor, with tissue, support, and infill attributes as a probable solution suited for the locality; (3) integration with urban context is highly capable in encouraging the social well-being for the urban system.

Music and Intermediality in Trans-Border Performances: Ecological Responses in Patachitra and Manasamangal

Climate crisis has emerged as an important theme in the performances of patachitra or scroll painting in West Bengal. Besides depicting contemporary subjects, the scrolls also tell traditional stories, such as that of the Manasamangal, through songs and visuals. Across the border, in Bangladesh, the Manasamangal narrative finds numerous embodiments in living traditions, thus closely highlighting a human–nature connection. This paper considers several such performance genres and studies them through the intermediality of printed literature, visual depictions, sound recordings and performance practices in curated spaces. In doing so, it challenges the land-centric frameworks of disciplines and instead understands them through a liquescent methodological approach.

Connection to Nature and the Case for Deep Ecology

This essay argues for the continuing import and relevance of deep ecological philosophy by reading it together with explorations of connection to nature in the social sciences. It begins by clarifying deep ecological concepts of "identification" with nature. It then argues that these conceptualizations align with notions of human-nature connectedness employed by social scientists, and that empirical research largely corroborates deep ecologists' claims about the practical significance of a sense of connection to the natural world. Finally, it reviews literature discussing whether time outdoors, zoo visitation, and scientific study promote a sense of connection to nature, thus providing additional insight into the claims of deep ecologists, and offering practical guidance for conservationists and connectedness advocates.

Informing Future Land Systems Using Self-Reported Pathways and Barriers to Connections to Nature: A Case Study in Auckland, New Zealand

Empirical research exploring what increases an individual’s connection to nature is growing, however research seeking respondents to self-report what they feel acts as a barrier or pathway to their connection to nature is scarce. Previous empirical literature suggests a link between connections to nature and pro-nature actions. Therefore, understanding what acts as a barrier or pathway to people’s connection to nature can provide insight as to what may promote, or hinder, pro-nature actions. From a land systems perspective, the research is crucial, given that human disconnection from nature is argued to be the reason behind large scale ecological crises and species extinction which threaten the land systems in which we live. Consequently, a cross-sectional qualitative study was undertaken in 2019 with 976 respondents from Auckland, New Zealand to explore self-reported perceptions of what acts as a barrier or pathway towards their connections to nature. The findings suggest that respondents perceive modern society modalities such as ‘life takes over’, ‘urban life’, etc., as being barriers to their connections to nature. Being exposed to nature, was perceived as a pathway to prompting, and/or sustaining their connections to nature. These learnings highlight the benefit of exploring the perceived influences on connections to nature and the findings can be applied to improve the human–nature connection and therefore potentially increase pro-nature actions. We also use the findings to provide practical actions for environmental managers in the Auckland region by advising as to how the human–nature connection can be supported through future urban planning and better designed urban land systems.

Classification of Biophilic Buildings as Sustainable Environments

Biophilic design approach aims at creating favorable conditions for humans in various types of anthropogenic environments, while at the same time restoring broken human–nature connection. The biophilic design guidelines and principles are general and flexible and allow wide array of architectural expressions. In order to better understand the architectural expression possibilities provided by biophilic design approach, the existing classifications of biophilic architecture and biophilic design examples were analyzed with the aim to develop the classification that would reflect the links between a building’s architectural expression and biophilic qualities. Three categories of biophilic architecture were distinguished in the developed classification: mimetic, applied, and organic. The distinguished categories were illustrated with the characteristic building examples and the evaluation of biophilic qualities and human-nature collaboration potential of these example buildings was carried out using comprehensive system of criteria. The analysis has demonstrated that all three distinguished categories—mimetic, applied, organic—allow for the creation of biophilic environments and hold the potential for human–nature collaboration, although organic biophilic design would be currently considered as the least developed, although most promising category.

Meaning-making in a context of climate change: supporting agency and political engagement

ABSTRACT Responding effectively to climate change requires an understanding of what shapes people’s individual and collective sense of agency and responsibility towards the future. It also requires transforming this understanding into political engagement to support systems change. Based on a national representative survey in Sweden (N = 1,237), this research uses the novel SenseMaker methodology to look into these matters. More specifically, in order to understand the social and institutional prerequisites that must be in place to develop inclusive climate responses, we investigate how citizens perceive their everyday life and future, and the implications for their sense of responsibility, agency, and political engagement. Our research findings show how citizens perceive and act on climate change (individually, cooperatively, and by supporting others), their underlying values, beliefs, emotions and paradigms, inter-group variations, and obstacles and enablers for change. The findings reveal that, in general, individual and public climate action is perceived as leading to improved (rather than reduced) wellbeing and welfare. At the same time, climate anxiety and frustration about structural and governance constraints limit agency, whilst positive emotions and inner qualities, such as human–nature connections, support both political engagement and wellbeing. Our results shed light on individual, collective, and structural capacities that must be supported to address climate change. They draw attention to the need to develop new forms of citizen involvement and of policy that can explicitly address these human interactions, inner dimensions of thinking about and acting on climate change, and the underlying social paradigms. We conclude with further research needs and policy recommendations.

Participatory Learning and Co-Design for Sustainable Rural Living, Supporting the Revival of Indigenous Values and Community Resiliency in Sabrang Village, Indonesia

Industrialization and urbanization have affected Indonesia’s rural communities and farming culture, which were once integral parts of its ecological system. This paper presents a participatory co-design approach based on the local and traditional learning philosophy of niteni to support sustainable development. The participatory co-design approach encouraged collaboration between marginalized communities, government bodies, and a multidisciplinary academic team. Through this lens, interviews, forums, and an ethnographic study were undertaken in order to acquire data and information for idea generation and planning. Firstly, eight niteni themes were identified, including the environment and ecosystems, traditional values and farming culture, crafting skills, manufacturing, and the local economy. Building on an understanding of the challenges associated with each of these themes, we identified future development priorities. A key action identified was the reintroduction of traditional farming, in particular the planting of local rice varieties and the local tradition of Pranatamangsa, which promote human–nature connections such as farming activities and rituals following natural seasonal cycles. Finally, design approaches were used to revive the local rice farming tradition (Rojolele Delanggu), including product branding and packaging designs to support regional identity. The paper concludes that the inclusion of design thinking in a sustainable development strategy based on cultural specificity can increase participation and support traditional indigenous practices and community resiliency.

Investigating the Buffering Effects of Greenery on the Adverse Emotional, Mental and Behavioral Health during the Pandemic Period.

In light of the adverse emotional, mental and behavioral outcomes caused by the pandemic period, this research analyzed the associations between emotional distress and poor health outcomes and the buffering effects of greenery on these outcomes. An online cross-sectional survey between June–November 2021 was distributed among 1314 young Italian adults. Bivariate associations and multivariate regression analyses were applied to the data. Findings showed that emotional distress was positively related to poor mental health outcomes and to some of the unhealthy behaviors. In addition, green pathways differently impacted on health: the indoor features confirmed buffering effects on adverse emotional and mental health responses, whereas the outdoor features played no salutogenic role. In conclusion, whereas the outbreak period of the pandemic has led to the rediscovering/reinforcement of the attachment to nature to cope with negative affective states, the successive waves characterized by selected limitations and new living rules of social adaptation may have brought about a reduced affinity toward nature. Target interventions in terms of biophilic design for indoor environmental sustainability are needed in order to increase the innate human–nature connection and thus to promote public health.

Environmental communication, from engagement to action: lessons from interviews with environmental experts, Hungary

Modern societies have loose ties to nature, environmental processes and problems remain mostly invisible to our eyes. This paper investigates environmental experts’ motivations, thoughts, attitudes and beliefs in relation to environmental communication and their practice in promoting changes in people’s environmental behavior via fifteen in-depth interviews from Hungary. The interviews reveal the potential for establishing human-nature connectedness in childhood or through field encounters, faith, but reflect the ambiguous nature of fear appeal in environmental communication. Many barriers hinder communication, such as inadequate messaging, social inability and defense mechanisms that could be overcome by using examples and policies close to people. The answers given in interviews suggest that grassroots initiatives are not satisfactory, yet an engaged society can influence decision-makers to strengthen the aims with top-down regulations.

A Transformative (r)Evolution of the Research on Agriculture through Fostering Human-Nature Connectedness—A Special Issue Editorial

More and more people live in cities [...]

When One Health Meets the United Nations Ocean Decade: Global Agendas as a Pathway to Promote Collaborative Interdisciplinary Research on Human-Nature Relationships.

Strong evidence shows that exposure and engagement with the natural world not only improve human wellbeing but can also help promote environmentally friendly behaviors. Human-nature relationships are at the heart of global agendas promoted by international organizations including the World Health Organization’s (WHO) “One Health” and the United Nations (UN) “Ocean Decade.” These agendas demand collaborative multisector interdisciplinary efforts at local, national, and global levels. However, while global agendas highlight global goals for a sustainable world, developing science that directly addresses these agendas from design through to delivery and outputs does not come without its challenges. In this article, we present the outcomes of international meetings between researchers, stakeholders, and policymakers from the United Kingdom and Brazil. We propose a model for interdisciplinary work under such global agendas, particularly the interface between One Health and the UN Ocean Decade and identify three priority research areas closely linked to each other: human-nature connection, conservation-human behavior, and implementation strategies (bringing stakeholders together). We also discuss a number of recommendations for moving forward.

COVID-19: A crisis or fortune? Examining the relationship between nature relatedness and mental wellbeing during the pandemic

With the progression of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), lockdowns were introduced, movements were restricted, and the people were confined to their homes. On the other side, the social distancing measures and the shutdown of movements showed a significant impact on the ecosystem resulting in an explicit revamp of nature. These nature rejuvenation and home confinement measures were presumed to improve the human-nature connection and affect the wellbeing of the individuals. Guided by this aspect, the present study attempted to examine nature relatedness and mental wellbeing of the Indian population during the COVID-19 pandemic. We further tried to investigate the relationship between the two considering age and gender as moderators. In addition, the association between nature relatedness and various socio-demographic factors were also inquired. A three-week online survey was conducted among the general Indian population with the age group ranging from 18 to 65 years. Results exhibited a higher nature relatedness and moderate mental wellbeing among the individuals. The association between nature relatedness and mental wellbeing produced a significant positive relationship among the sample. Meanwhile, individuals with higher nature relatedness were found to be female, unemployed, research scholars, and possessing ‘very liberal’ political ideology. When assessed for potential moderators, neither gender nor age influenced the relationship between nature relatedness and mental wellbeing. Possible explanations of our findings were discussed that shall provide constructive directions for future research in the area of human-nature connection and public health.

A Biophilic Design Approach for Improved Energy Performance in Retrofitting Residential Projects

The existing building stock is recognised as a major contributor to total energy consumption and related carbon emissions around the globe. There is increased attention on the retrofit of existing building stock, especially residential buildings, as a way of curbing energy consumption and carbon emissions. Within this context, human nature connectedness (HNC) has the potential of further amplifying the benefits of sustainable buildings both from an energy conservation practice and tangible improvements to users’ satisfaction, health, and wellbeing. This study attempts to show a case study of the potential of using HNC through the adoption of biophilic design principles to improve a residential building performance. A terrace house located in Sydney, NSW, was used as a case study and proposed retrofit scenarios were simulated with DesignBuilder® and Rhinoceros/Grasshopper with a view of improved daylighting, thermal comfort, and energy consumption. The building performance is improved in terms of daylighting, thermal comfort, and reduced energy consumption, additionally enhancing HNC.

Linking Socioeconomics to Biodiversity in the City: The Case of a Migrant Keystone Bird Species

Billions of wild animals migrate every year between breeding and non-breeding sites, facing new environmental conditions due to anthropogenic change. Although cities engender profound environmental changes, they provide habitat for some migratory birds contributing to conserving biodiversity and restoring human-nature connections. A common issue in Neotropical cities is their socio-environmental segregation, that might result in wealthier people having access to greater biodiversity in their neighborhoods. Although growing evidence shows a relationship between wealth and biodiversity in cities, it remains poorly investigated in relation to animals, particularly migratory birds. We present the first study on the effects of socioeconomic status on a Neotropical austral migrant considered a keystone species. We tested whether neighborhood socioeconomic category and habitat variables relate to the occurrence of the Green-backed Firecrown hummingbird in its overwintering habitat in urban areas. We hypothesized that higher socioeconomic status of neighborhoods would positively influence hummingbird occurrence through mediating effects of woody plant cover. We found that hummingbird occurrence increased with socioeconomic level of neighborhoods and woody cover. Specifically, we found that socioeconomic level influenced hummingbird occurrence indirectly through woody and shrub cover. We also found a direct effect of socioeconomic level on hummingbird occurrence suggesting the need for further research. Our findings show that wealthier neighborhoods exhibit greater woody cover and higher hummingbird occurrence than poorer neighborhoods, providing dissimilar opportunities to experience nature close to home. In neighborhoods where people of lower socioeconomic status live, strategies aiming to increase tree and shrub cover will promote a more environmentally just city.

CHANS-Law: preventing the next pandemic through the integration of social and environmental law

Zoonotic viruses have sacrificed hundreds of millions of people throughout human history. There are currently 1.7 million unidentified viruses estimated to be circulating in mammal and bird populations. It is foreseeable that in the near future, another of these will transmit to people, heralding the start of the next pandemic—one potentially more deadly than COVID-19. At the core of this article is a call for pre-emptive protection of the natural environment and its regenerative systems as the first fundamental step in the prevention of future epidemics and pandemics. While zoonoses originate in nature, the predominant legal discipline, managing these crises, is international health law which is invoked reactively once an outbreak has been reported. In this paper, we identify the need for a legal shift in epidemic and pandemic responses. In particular, we call for the incorporation of international environmental agreements to prevent the initial viral spillover from animal to human populations. We propose a strategy of strengthening existing agreements and a coupling of legal disciplines, such as health and environmental law, emphasizing the need for synergies across legal disciplines to enhance the emergence and management of future pandemics and epidemics. We introduce Coupled Human and Natural Systems (CHANS) Law to frame the required integration across legal instruments to regulate inextricably human-nature connections and advocate for the development of a Convention on Epidemics and Pandemics.

The Role of Consumer-Citizens and Connectedness to Nature in the Sustainable Transition to Agroecological Food Systems: The Mediation of Innovative Business Models and a Multi-Level Perspective

Conventional agricultural systems have contributed to social, economic and environmental problems and are the main threat to global sustainability. In response, theoretical frameworks to describe the transition to sustainable food systems have been proposed, emphasizing the necessity to shift from farm-level solutions to a focus on interactions within the entire value chain, from production to consumption. Despite the emphasis on the importance and potential of consumers to contribute to sustainable agri-food transitions, approaches to their role have remained within the traditional, linear supply chain framework. Marketing approaches view consumers as passive actors, limited to voting with their wallets, which has deepened the disconnection between consumers, producers and nature, resulting in a triple fracture. We analyze the role of the consumer in agri-food systems, contrasting marketing approaches with other consumers/citizens concepts and locate them within sustainability transition frameworks and a multi-level perspective. We discuss the re-establishment of the connection between farmers and consumers and human–nature connectedness and explore this connection mediated through innovative business models, which act as niche innovations with the capacity to influence regimes and landscapes within the multi-level perspective. The role of consumers/citizens in the co-creation of innovative business models is also addressed.

Exploring conceptualisations of ‘connections to nature’ from an environmental management perspective: a case study in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand

ABSTRACT Disconnect between humans and nature has been considered a driver of contemporary environmental crises. This has resulted in environmental managers calling for society to ‘re-connect’ with nature for future sustainability. However, conceptualisations of ‘connections to nature’ are fragmented in theoretical terms and practical application, as empirical research in environmental management literature exploring lay people’s conceptualisations of their personal ‘connections to nature’ is scarce. This raises a key issue: if environmental managers do not know what they are aiming for, how can it be effective? This study responds to the empirical gap by exploring what a ‘connection to nature’ means to lay individuals. Just under 1,000 respondents from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand engaged in the study. Results suggest that lay conceptualisations of ‘connections to nature’ range across nine dimensions – cognitive, affective, experiential, philosophical, spiritual, material, well-being, cultural or that it is a ‘hippie term’. Diversity of conceptualisations among the respondent group suggests that empirical exploration of the way that people conceptualise their ‘connections to nature’ is beneficial. These understandings could prove vital for more efficient sustainability actions to achieve more effective outcomes. The findings advance discourse on human-nature connections in environmental management literature.