scholarly journals Noticing nature, nature connectedness and time in nature: Associations with Human and Nature’s Wellbeing during the Corona Pandemic.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miles Richardson ◽  
Iain Hamlin

During the restrictions imposed to control the coronavirus pandemic people have visited and noticed nature more. Research into the human-nature relationship often considers how visits or time in nature are related to human wellbeing. Recently, the closeness of the human-nature relationship measured by nature connectedness, and built through noticing nature, has also been considered, although rarely in concert with nature visits. Further, the reciprocal benefits of pro-nature behaviours are often overlooked. Natural England’s People and Nature Survey (PANS) in the UK was conducted during the initial pandemic response and allows further analysis of these factors. Using PANS data we assessed a number of wellbeing outcomes (loneliness, life satisfaction, worthwhile life and happiness) and pro-nature behaviours as a function of longer-term physical time in nature and psychological connectedness to nature and shorter-term visits and noticing of nature. In a baseline analysis of longer-term factors nature connectedness and time in nature were both consistent significant predictors of wellbeing measures (apart from loneliness) and pro-nature conservation behaviours. Considered alone, without controlling for longer-term measures, short-term visits and noticing were again consistent and significant predictors of three wellbeing measures. There was also a weak significant association between increased noticing of nature and increased loneliness and recent visits to nature were not associated with pro-nature conservation behaviours. A combined regression highlighted the importance of a longer-term relationship with nature in all outcomes apart from loneliness, but also revealed that, even when considered in concert with longer-term factors, currently noticing nature had a role in feeling one’s life was worthwhile life, pro-nature behaviours and loneliness.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miles Richardson ◽  
Iain Hamlin

Purpose To explore the associations between noticing nature, nature connectedness, time in nature and human and nature’s well-being during the corona pandemic restrictions. Design/methodology/approach Natural England’s people and nature survey (PANS) data (n = 4,206) from the UK was used to assess a number of well-being outcomes (loneliness, life satisfaction, worthwhile life and happiness) and pro-nature behaviours as a function of longer-term physical time in nature and psychological connectedness to nature and shorter-term visits and noticing of nature. Findings Longer-term factors of nature connectedness and time in nature were both consistent significant predictors of well-being measures (apart from loneliness) and pro-nature conservation behaviours. Considered alone short-term visits and noticing were again consistent and significant predictors of three well-being measures, but recent visits to nature were not associated with pro-nature conservation behaviours. A combined regression highlighted the importance of a longer-term relationship with nature in all outcomes apart from loneliness but also revealed that even when considered in concert with longer-term factors, currently noticing nature had a role in feeling one’s life was worthwhile, pro-nature behaviours and loneliness. Originality/value The closeness of the human-nature relationship and noticing nature have rarely been examined in concert with nature visits. Further, the reciprocal benefits of pro-nature behaviours are often overlooked.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim-Pong Tam

Feeling grateful to nature for its bountiful benefits to humans and wanting to give thanks to nature is a familiar theme in personal stories and cultural rituals, but this emotional experience has rarely been understood scientifically. The present research fills this gap by presenting a theory of gratitude to nature. Findings from four correlational studies and one experiment robustly support its propositions. Gratitude to nature can be conceptualized as a form of benefit-triggered gratitude. The distinction between trait and state gratitude to nature was found to be valid, and both forms of gratitude can be reliably measured. Trait gratitude to nature was associated with interpersonal gratitude as well as a number of constructs relevant to the human-nature relationship (e.g., experience with nature, connectedness to nature, anthropomorphism). Also, gratitude to nature strongly and robustly motivated not only intention but also actual performance of pro-environmental behavior. The theory offers novel insights into the understanding of humans’ relations with nature and responses to environmental problems. It also suggests potential directions for environmental education and communication.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iain Hamlin ◽  
Miles Richardson

A strong connection to nature promotes behaviours that help conserve the natural world. However, it is likely that this relationship is reciprocal, with the pathways to nature connectedness including care for nature through pro-nature conservation behaviours and sensory contact with nature. Pro-conservation behaviours vary in terms of how much visible biodiversity, and therefore contact with nature, they produce. It is likely that conservation behaviours that support higher visible biodiversity will result in more sensory contact with nature and therefore greater levels of nature connectedness. The present research investigates the relationship between garden-focussed pro-nature conservation behaviour, noticing nature and nature connectedness using data from Natural England’s People and Nature Survey in the UK, a large national survey that includes items to measure noticing nature, nature connectedness, and pro-nature conservation behaviours. Results suggest that undertaking garden-based pro-nature conservation behaviours that enhance visible biodiversity leads to an increase in noticing nature, which in turn leads to an increase in nature connectedness. These results point to a relatively simple way to boost human connection to nature: boost and engage people with visible biodiversity.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lea Barbett ◽  
Edward Stupple ◽  
Michael Sweet ◽  
Miles Richardson

The planet is facing an anthropogenic mass extinction of wildlife, which will have a grave impact on the environment and humans. Widespread human action is needed to minimize the negative impact of humans on biodiversity and support the restoration of wildlife. In order to find effective ways to promote pro-nature conservation behaviours to the general population, there is a need to provide a list of behaviours which will have worthwhile ecological impact and are worth encouraging. In a novel collaboration between psychologists and ecologists, 70 experts from practical and academic conservation backgrounds were asked to review and rate 48 conservation related behaviours. According to their judgement, this short paper presents a ranked list of pro-nature conservation behaviours for the public in the UK and similar landscapes. This includes behaviours people can engage in in their homes, their gardens, on their land, and in their roles as citizens.


2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diether W. Beuermann ◽  
Antonios Antoniou ◽  
Alejandro Bernales
Keyword(s):  

2020 ◽  
pp. bmjmilitary-2020-001455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Blair Thomas Herron ◽  
K M Heil ◽  
D Reid

In 2015, the UK government published the National Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) 2015, which laid out their vision for the future roles and structure of the UK Armed Forces. SDSR 2015 envisaged making broader use of the Armed Forces to support missions other than warfighting. One element of this would be to increase the scale and scope of defence engagement (DE) activities that the UK conducts overseas. DE activities traditionally involve the use of personnel and assets to help prevent conflict, build stability and gain influence with partner nations as part of a short-term training teams. This paper aimed to give an overview of the Specialist Infantry Group and its role in UK DE. It will explore the reasons why the SDSR 2015 recommended their formation as well as an insight into future tasks.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Altweck ◽  
Stefanie Hahm ◽  
Holger Muehlan ◽  
Tobias Gfesser ◽  
Christine Ulke ◽  
...  

Abstract Background While a strong negative impact of unemployment on health has been established, the present research examined the lesser studied interplay of gender, social context and job loss on health trajectories. Methods Data from the German Socio-Economic Panel was used, which provided a representative sample of 6838 participants. Using latent growth modelling the effects of gender, social context (East vs. West Germans), unemployment (none, short-term or long-term), and their interactions were examined on health (single item measures of self-rated health and life satisfaction respectively). Results Social context in general significantly predicted the trajectories of self-rated health and life satisfaction. Most notably, data analysis revealed that West German women reported significantly lower baseline values of self-rated health following unemployment and did not recover to the levels of their East German counterparts. Only long-term, not short-term unemployment was related to lower baseline values of self-rated health, whereas, in relation to baseline values of life satisfaction, both types of unemployment had a similar negative effect. Conclusions In an economic crisis, individuals who already carry a higher burden, and not only those most directly affected economically, may show the greatest health effects.


2021 ◽  
Vol 256 ◽  
pp. 19-43
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Castle ◽  
Jurgen A. Doornik ◽  
David F. Hendry

The Covid-19 pandemic has put forecasting under the spotlight, pitting epidemiological models against extrapolative time-series devices. We have been producing real-time short-term forecasts of confirmed cases and deaths using robust statistical models since 20 March 2020. The forecasts are adaptive to abrupt structural change, a major feature of the pandemic data due to data measurement errors, definitional and testing changes, policy interventions, technological advances and rapidly changing trends. The pandemic has also led to abrupt structural change in macroeconomic outcomes. Using the same methods, we forecast aggregate UK unemployment over the pandemic. The forecasts rapidly adapt to the employment policies implemented when the UK entered the first lockdown. The difference between our statistical and theory based forecasts provides a measure of the effect of furlough policies on stabilising unemployment, establishing useful scenarios had furlough policies not been implemented.


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