Prof. of Human Factors & Nature Connectedness
@DerbyUni
- improving nature connection to unite human & nature’s wellbeing. Biodiversity stripes creator.
Reconnection: Fixing our Broken Relationship with Nature
💔How was our close bond with nature broken?
🦠What invisible links with nature remain?
💚What are the benefits of a close relationship with nature?
👣What are the pathways to reconnection?
For
#EarthDay
the biodiversity stripes have a new home linked to
@ed_hawkins
climate warming stripes, because the Earth faces two environmental challenges. Take a look and
#ShowYourStripes
:
Inspired by
@ed_hawkins
climate stripes I've made some biodiversity stripes using
@LPI_Science
data to show how the average drop of 68% in the population of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians & reptiles since 1970 is a journey from green to grey:
“Fake turf is the manifestation of a deep cultural weakness, expressed in short-termism and a distaste and disrespect for the wonder, variety, and temporality of the natural world.”
It's
#ShowYourStripes
day - as the climate warms, biodiversity falls.
Twinned with the climate warming stripes a reminder that we face two environmental challenges
Biodiversity stripes on
#BiodiversityDay
The population of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles has fallen by 68% globally since 1970.
A loss of vibrancy and colour, where the green becomes grey.
#ShowYourStripes
The population of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles has fallen by 68% globally since 1970. A loss of vibrancy and colour, where the green becomes grey. My blog on how that data can be represented by biodiversity stripes:
Out today! Reconnection: Fixing our Broken Relationship with Nature
How did our relationship with nature fail, why does it matter and how can we fix it?
Look what’s arrived! Super chuffed!
How did our relationship with nature fail, why does it matter and how can we fix it?
Coming soon with
@pelagicpublish
:
I’m with
@NaturalistDara
and
@RobGMacfarlane
- Twitter has been really useful to both inform and share my research. I see great content, meet new people and starting from scratch elsewhere will slow the work needed for a more sustainable future. I’m staying
#NaturePositive
The loss of wildlife leads to a greyer world. The decline in 944 freshwater species since 1970 as stripes from blue to grey. Data: Living Planet Index. More stripes here:
The Nature Connection Handbook
What nature connection is and why it matters ✅
How to grow closer to nature ✅
Nature connection case studies ✅
For a new and sustainable relationship with nature:
The trio of climate, biodiversity and new
@wwf_uk
forest stripes tells a devastating story of environmental crises and our failing relationship with nature.
#showyourstripes
More on the stripes, forests and people:
The
@MeganMcCubbin
&
@ChrisGPackham
@SIBirdClub
may have closed, but it made our latest research possible. Find out how 'joy watching' birds lowered anxiety and which garden bird brought the most joy:
Reconnection: Fixing our broken relationship with nature
How did our relationship with nature fail, why does it matter and how can we fix it?
Coming early 2023 with
@pelagicpublish
:
A depressing moment adding two grey biodiversity stripes, now representing a 69% decline in wildlife populations since 1970.
Don't let a green
#LivingPlanet
turn grey.
The Nature Connection Handbook is approaching 25,000 downloads. Great to know there's such interest in:
What nature connection is and why it matters ✅
How to grow closer to nature ✅
Nature connection case studies ✅
Excited to launch the Nature Connected Organisations Handbook. A guide for connecting organisations with nature for sustainable futures and workplace wellbeing. Download for free here:
A moment at Bird Stop 31. How about a national network of Bird Stops? Lay-bys where local people top up the feeders (as they do here) and passersby can have a moments calm, joy and reconnection - some
@BirdTherapy
The UK is one of the most nature depleted nations on the planet, people need to know about our broken relationship with nature - we can then explain why it matters and start to fix it.
A damp, but satisfying morning turning a pile of old slate into something for the ‘dead’ area under the bird feeders - a place for the bugs and mice to live too.
Very happy to see the release of 'Nature and Me'. A short guide on how to get close to nature and the benefits this can bring from
@DerbyUni
and the
@nationaltrust
What type of relationship is based on facts and figures? 🤔
A closer, healthier and more sustainable relationship with nature comes through noticing, emotion, finding beauty and meaning, compassion.
The Nature Connection Handbook has had over 40,000 downloads.
Tomorrow we launch the follow-up about Nature Connected Organisations.
Watch here or subscribe to
The Nature Connection Handbook has passed 30,000 downloads. Great to know there's such interest in:
What nature connection is and why it matters ✅
How to grow closer to nature ✅
Nature connection case studies ✅
"A heartbreaking 62 percent of adults rarely listen to birdsong and 79 rarely smelled wild flowers."
And those simple actions are key for a worthwhile and sustainable life.
The biodiversity stripes have a new home, now twinned with the climate stripes - together they tell a story where few words are needed
#showyourstripes
Out today, Noticing Nature our report with
@nationaltrust
on the importance of noticing nature and a close relationship with nature for a worthwhile and pro-nature life:
‘Artists who use natural sounds in their recordings can choose to list "Nature" as a featured artist - and a share of their profits will be distributed to environmental causes.’
Great to see the
#1
theme in an imagined future is a closer relationship with nature - and an honour to be part of the
#PeoplesPlanforNature
process. Download the full report here:
Excited to start work on a book about our relationship with (the rest of) nature - why it’s failing, why it matters and how we might fix it. Out early 2023 with
@pelagicpublish
“Two-hour ‘dose’ of nature significantly boosts health“ - a useful way of getting the message across (as I have done), but does it frame nature as a resource for dipping into? Rather than something we’re part of?
The Nature Connection Handbook - a new guide to applying the science of nature connectedness for both human & nature's wellbeing - with a dozen case studies showing how organisations big & small are bringing people closer to nature using five pathways:
Is the UK really a nation of nature lovers?
Results of an 18 country survey published in Scientific Reports suggest that as a nation we visit nature less and have a low level of nature connectedness.
‘We’re destroying nature, we’re destroying humanity. We’re certainly destroying this civilisation….What I’m suggesting is that relationships are primary…[and there’s a need to] re-kindle in ourselves a sense of awe and wonder, in this beautiful world’
Nature's decline shows our relationship with nature is broken. To fix it we need a new relationship, beyond utility & control, facts & figures, observation & identification, to a celebration of nature's beauty, celebrating the feelings & meaning nature brings to our lives.
Been such a busy day that I forgot it started with a paper accepted. Key output from five years of work with
@NaturalEngland
and others on the links between nature connectedness, wellbeing and pro-nature behaviours.
First two research papers of 2022 accepted today. Factors associated with nature connectedness in school-aged children and another on how nature connectedness, nonattachment and engagement with nature’s beauty predict pro-nature conservation behaviours.
The increase in nature connectedness research since 2001 is remarkable and is starting to shift science-policy thinking. My latest blog provides a brief summary of 8 papers published in the past month or so:
Great to be interviewed on
@BBCr4today
just now about Trees.
If you want to know more about the Nature Connectedness Research Group
@DerbyUni
:
Or my book, Reconnection: Fixing our Broken Relationship with Nature:
Another day done & 25 years at
@derbyuni
completed. Started as technician, now professor. A few highlights, ‘flatpack king’ in 2003, online MSc Ergonomics launch 2005, with its virtual workplace, forming the Nature Connectedness Research Group in 2013 and all that followed...
Nature has been shown to help manage anxiety in many studies, here simply rating the joy garden birds bring led to a greater decrease in anxiety than counting birds
#MentalHealthAwarenessWeek
We found the most common length of trip in urban greenspaces was 4 minutes 36 seconds - how can these brief incidental visits to urban greenspaces be turned into everyday moments of wonder for human and nature's wellbeing?
Our latest research published in Urban Ecology shows that noticing the joy of birds significantly lowers anxiety - but we also know that most adults don't notice birds...
Prof Miles Richardson said: “What really stood out was how the people who didn’t feel a connection with nature at the outset were the ones who benefited most from taking part in 30 Days Wild.”
Just completed first full play testing of a board game idea I’ve been developing over the past week or so - worked surprisingly well. Core idea is based on developing a community with a close relationship with nature.
Nature Connections 2019 - Save the Date
Tuesday 2 July 2019 at the University of Derby
Enabling Nature Connection and the latest research on the links between nature connectedness, well-being & pro-nature behaviours.
Further details and call for papers will be announced soon.
Intensive farming is biggest cause of bird decline in Europe - Use of pesticides and fertilisers identified as most significant factor behind loss of 550 million birds from skies
Seven factors in our failing relationship with nature.
Our new paper published in Ambio looks at the human-nature relationship across 14 European countries: