Nature connection through film

These notes accompany two films that I have made. They are an attempt to punctuate why my connection to nature is so important to me and try to find a way to share this. I write attempt because I believe that we as human beings are ever-evolving, ever-revealing and ever-growing, and so is our relationship and connection to nature. It’s not a circular movement, but more like a spiraling one which adds one more dimension. We come back to places that are familiar but slightly different. What can we co-learn from lighting a campfire? https://youtu.be/NyBPVkhQjOY Following a stream towards the sea https://youtu.be/r7W7vF2dqzI

Health and Wellbeing Benefits from Nature Experiences in Tropical Settings Depend on Strength of Connection to Nature

A growing number of policies and programmes in cities aim to increase the time people spend in nature for the health and wellbeing benefits delivered by such interactions. Yet, there is little research investigating the extent to which, and for whom, nature experiences deliver such benefits outside Europe, North America, and Australia. Here, we assessed the relationships between nature dose (frequency, duration, and intensity) and three mental wellbeing (depression, stress, and anxiety) and two physical health (high blood pressure, diabetes) outcomes in Singapore, an intensely urbanised tropical city. Our analyses accounted for individual factors, including socio-economic status, nature connection (nature relatedness), and whether people with poor health are prevented by their condition from visiting green spaces. Our results show that the association between nature dose (specifically duration) and mental wellbeing is moderated by a nature connection. Specifically, people with a stronger nature connection were less likely to be depressed, stressed, and anxious, regardless of the duration of their nature dose. For those with a weaker connection to nature, spending longer in nature was associated with being more depressed, stressed, and anxious. We did not find a relationship between nature dose and high blood pressure or diabetes. Our results highlight that the relationship between nature dose and wellbeing might vary substantially among cities.

GREEN CITY INITIATIVES: HUMAN-NATURE INTERACTION

Interaction with Nature [IN] refers to the urge or preference to be close to the natural environment, attentiveness and knowledge of the natural environment, and health associated attributes in relation to surroundings. Issue: Since the vision of green city was introduced, Melaka has made great strides toward building a sustainable, green city. With the ongoing development towards reduction of carbon intensity 2020, IN of Melaka public needs to be evaluated to determine the human-nature connection with respect to the green initiative efforts. Purpose: This paper aims to compare the IN of Melaka residents to residents of other states in Malaysia. Approach: One-Way MANOVA was generated to determine the mean distribution of 10 IN items, across Malaysia States. Findings: There were significant differences within subjects of the 10 IN items between-subjects of Malaysia States. The Post-Hoc Test indicated majority of the means of IN items for Melaka were significantly higher than other states. However, in relation to other states, Melaka was slightly shy on (i) IN2, being able to recall experiences in the natural environment, and (ii) IN5, being able to notice scientific details of nature.

Enhancing Nature Connection and Positive Affect in Children through Mindful Engagement with Natural Environments

Nature connection, which describes a positive relationship between humans and the rest of nature, has been recognised as a worthwhile goal of all education. Given its association with wellbeing, as well as the fact that it can predict ecological behaviours in children, there have been several calls for it to become central to environmental education, and an important tool in tackling climate change. Previous research has reported the success of short-term interventions in increasing nature connection in children, but to date no empirical studies have looked at how mindful engagement with nature can promote both nature connection and positive affect. This study took place in a nature reserve in Wales and included n = 74 children, aged 9–10, who took part in three mindful activities. Pre- and post- measures included nature connection and positive/negative affect. Analysis showed a significant small to medium effect of the activity on nature connection. Moreover, positive affect significantly increased post-activity, while negative affect showed a small decrease.

Predicting the Development of Adult Nature Connection Through Nature Activities: Developing the Evaluating Nature Activities for Connection Tool

Nature Connection (NC) is considered an important driver of conservation behavior. Consequently, conservation organizations run many activities aiming to increase NC among participants. However, little is known about which activities are most effective at doing this and why. This study developed the Evaluating Nature Activities for Connection Tool (ENACT), to evaluate the effectiveness of activities for increasing participants’ NC and nature-related intentions. ENACT comprises 11 activity aspects identified through two research phases. In Phase 1, a literature search, focus group and interviews identified desired, short-term behavioral outcomes of nature activities, and variables that might promote these. In Phase 2, 241 adults completed a pilot survey immediately post-nature activity, with 1-month follow-up (N = 145), to evaluate the impact of participation on NC, nature-related behavioral intentions and behaviors. ENACT correlated with NC measures and offered incremental validity in predicting nature-related behavioral intentions and self-reported behaviors after 1 month.

Nature Connection and 360-Degree Video: An Exploratory Study With Immersive Technology

Background: Immersive technologies may be an avenue to explore the construct of human–nature connection more thoroughly and without some of the obstacles to accessing nature in-person. Purpose: The aim of this project was to discover if self-exposure to immersive virtual nature can lead to any change in nature connectedness. Methodology/Approach: Participants were recruited from the Texas State University campus and randomized into three experimental conditions: a filmed library or nature experience, and an in-nature experience. 360-degree videos of a nature preserve and the university library were projected within a head-mounted display in a laboratory setting. Results of pre- and postsurvey data were compared between experimental groups. Findings/Conclusions: Pairwise comparisons with the Nature Relatedness Scale indicated that participants in the in-nature experience reported significantly stronger beliefs about their connection to nature than those in either virtual condition. With respect to the State of Independence with Nature Scale, planned pairwise comparisons indicated that between participants in the in-nature experience and the virtual nature experience did not differ. Implications: This study suggests that to connect with nature, one should spend time there. In addition, here data support that a virtual immersive nature experience can affect a state-dependent measurement of nature connection, and even equal that of an in-nature experience.