It seems common sense that being outdoors is good for your physical and mental health, but current research is showing just how important ‘nature connection’ is for well-being and also for getting people involved in protecting the natural world.
First things first, what does nature connection actually mean? This term is used to talk about our relationship with nature - do we feel part of the natural world around us, or do we feel it's something separate to us? Everyone has different levels of nature connection depending on a variety of factors including how much green space we have access to, our culture, and how much time we spent outdoors in our childhood. But this isn’t fixed, we can become more connected by engaging with nature.
But why should we be trying to improve our level of nature connection? Research suggests that nature connection is related to increased happiness and life satisfaction, and reduced stress and anxiety. For instance, one study found that children who took part in outdoor education activities as part of their school day showed improved mental and physical well-being, compared to their classmates who didn’t have outdoor sessions.
What’s more, we aren’t the only ones who benefit, nature does too because people who are connected to nature are more likely to act in ways that are good for the environment. Some research even suggests that nature connection is the most important factor for positive environmental behaviour, even more so than scientific knowledge. This means focusing on improving everyone's connection to nature is vital if we want to protect the natural world.
So, how can we do this? Researchers have identified five different pathways to achieve nature connection: senses, emotion, compassion, meaning and beauty. This means that getting people to notice all the beautiful things in nature and engaging all their senses when spending time outdoors is the most effective way to helps create and maintain a feeling of connectedness to nature.
At Suffolk wildlife Trust, one of our main aims is to help boost nature connection, because we know how beneficial it is for helping both people and wildlife. We run a variety of activities for all age groups across the county; in Ipswich we have a variety of regular and special events exploring the town’s urban wildlife and encouraging residents to protect the nature on their doorsteps. Our belief is that getting as many people as possible to connect with nature will help get everyone on board with protecting it, so that Suffolk is abundant and thriving with wildlife!
If you want to get involved and boost your nature connection then check out all our events on our website!
