Welcome to the latest round up of information for October. Contributions featuring members of the SRN and direct recipients of this round up are highlighted in green below.
This round up has the following sections
RESEARCH / REPORTS
RESOURCES
CONFERENCES / CALLS
MEDIA
RESEARCH / REPORTS
Nature Connection / Engagement / Pro environmental Behaviour
The People and Nature Survey for England: Children’s survey
Natural England Survey Report
Six in ten children reported they have spent less time outdoors since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, with concern about catching or spreading coronavirus the biggest barrier stopping them going out more.
Nature Connection Changes Throughout the Life Span: Generation and Sex‐Based Differences in Ecowellness
RF Reese, TF Lewis, BH Kothari - Adultspan Journal
We investigated whether ecowellness significantly differed based on participants' generation status and biological sex. A statistically significant interaction suggested that millennial men in the sample had lower levels of ecowellness compared with millennial women, a pattern in biological sex that held for individuals in the combined baby boom/silent generation group. In contrast, male Generation X participants had higher ecowellness levels compared with their female counterparts.
How do childhood nature experiences and negative emotions towards nature influence preferences for outdoor activity among young adults?
N Sugiyama, T Hosaka, E Takagi, S Numata - Landscape and Urban Planning
- Emotive responses towards nature may be key to understanding the decline in contact with nature.
- Experiences decreased levels of disgust sensitivity and fear expectancy later in life.
- Disgust sensitivity influenced outdoor activity preferences, whereas fear expectancy did not.
- Childhood nature experiences were a strong predictor of perceptions of outdoor activities.
No evidence of an extinction of experience or emotional disconnect from nature in urban Singapore
RRY Oh, KS Fielding, RL Carrasco, RA Fuller - People and Nature
This study repeats one conducted in 1996 and investigates empirically whether experiences of nature, opportunities to experience nature and the emotional connection between people and nature have changed across 22 years. We discover that emotional connection with nature has increased among greenspace users and non-users, while the frequency and duration of greenspace visits remained unchanged. Among greenspace users, the number of different nature elements experienced also remained unchanged and more frequent users demonstrated a stronger emotional connection with nature.
Co‐designing behavior change interventions to conserve biodiversity
MJ Bowie, T Dietrich, P Cassey, D Veríssimo - Conservation Science and Practice
Here, we critically discuss co-design as a useful and effective approach for gathering audience insights relatively quickly, allowing conservation practitioners to integrate end-user voices when they would otherwise be excluded from intervention design. Specifically, we present a seven-step co-design process, providing an outline and guidance for how to generate more user-centric intervention ideas and transform them into feasible prototype interventions.
Connectedness is in my character: the relationship between nature relatedness and character strengths
A Merino, C Valor, R Redondo - Environmental Education Research
This study examines whether character strengths covariate with nature relatedness and which character strengths better differentiate between high and low levels of nature relatedness. Our results show that intellectual character strengths (i.e. appreciation of beauty, love of learning, and curiosity) are strongly associated with nature relatedness. Moreover, our findings show that appreciation of beauty is the strongest covariate of nature relatedness.
Avoiding negativity bias: Towards a positive psychology of human–wildlife relationships
A Buijs, M Jacobs - Ambio
Positive psychology suggests three pathways through which human–wildlife interactions may lead to happiness and well-being: pleasure, engagement, and meaning. Applying these pathways to human–wildlife research may (i) structure existing research into the benefits of human–wildlife interactions, (ii) disclose unidentified benefits of human–wildlife interactions, and (iii) unravel mechanisms which make experiencing and protecting wildlife worthwhile and rewarding. Also, we suggest a potential feedback loop between wildlife experiences, happiness and well-being, and pro-environmental behaviours.
Affective reactions to losses and gains in biodiversity: Testing a prospect theory approach
MP White, G Bratman, S Pahl, G Young, D Cracknell & L Elliott - Journal of Environmental Psychology
- Reports of losses/gains in biodiversity are widespread but their impact is uncertain.
- We used prospect theory to test three hypotheses with respect to affective reactions.
- Across two studies we found evidence of reference dependence, baselines mattered.
- We found no evidence for loss aversion, gains loomed larger than losses in both studies.
- Scope insensitive was the norm, people reacted similarly to small/large gains/losses.
A Review of the Concepts and Measurements for Connection to Nature and Environmentally Responsible Behaviour—a Call for Research on Human-Forest Relationships
L Häyrinen, S Pynnönen - Current Forestry Reports
This review examines recent scientific discussion on the concepts and measurements of human connection to nature (CTN) and pro-environmental behaviour (PEB). The review indicates that the interconnection between CTN and PEB is mostly studied as a part of the wider concept. Approximately half of the reviewed articles explored the actual exposure to some natural environment or nature activity either directly or indirectly. Forests only played a small role as a natural environment in the reviewed articles.
Examining Links between Connections to Nature and Intentions for Pro-Environmental Behavior as Outcomes of NOLS
J Baird, G Hutson, R Plummer - Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership
This study investigates the extent to which types of connections to nature are expressed by participants who completed an outdoor experiential NOLS course in the western United States, and examines the extent to which a connection to nature includes a future intention to engage in pro-environmental behavior. Key findings provide insights into how some connection themes (e.g., concern and protection) may have more potential to engender future positive intentions than others (e.g., beauty and appreciation).
Exploring the Impact of Contact with Nature in Childhood on Adult Personality
TL Snell, JG Simmonds, LM Klein - Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
- Childhood nature contact predicts higher Openness / lower Neuroticism in adulthood.
- Specific personality facets relate to creativity and mental health.
- Contact with forest environments were most strongly correlated with these facets.
- Natural environments may represent an ideal environment for creative play.
- Repeated contact with natural environments may assist with emotional regulation.
Making women's shelters more conducive to family life: professionals' exploration of the benefits of nature
E Peters, J Maas, C Schuengel, D Hovinga - Children's Geographies
Using an action research design, this study explored professionals’ perspective on the benefits of nature for family life in women’s shelters. Thematic analysis of showed five themes: nature (1) offers a place for family leisure time, (2) supports social connectedness, (3) supports psychological well-being, (4) offers metaphoric experiences, and (5) supports parenting.
Go to the forest! Exploring the orderings of Swedish Nature-Based Integration
BE Singleton - Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space
Nature-Based Integration’ (NBI) has been proposed as a solution to two prominent issues in contemporary Nordic societies: increasing separation from nature among ‘modern’ societies; and the need to ‘integrate’ groups of diverse newcomers. This article examines Nature Based Integration activities in Sweden, exploring how these practices seek to bring immigrants into a shared Swedish experiential landscape that forms part of the work of ordering Sweden as a community. Furthermore, the long history of outdoor lifestyle as a pillar of Swedish nationalism and the embracing of such activities by the Swedish far right highlight that nature may also become a site of conflict as much as conciliation. Finally, the article considers the types of environmental action arising from the NBI orderings and the likelihood of meaningful environmental change.
Biophilic Cities: Vision and Emerging Principles
R McDonald, T Beatley - Chapter in Biophilic Cities for an Urban Century
This chapter presents one way to plan for using nature as a solution: biophilic design and planning. It calls for a shift from seeing cities as places where there are discrete elements of nature to a more integrative and holistic sense of nature. This vision recognizes as well the multiple benefits of immersive nature in cities. In this chapter we explore this vision in some detail and lay out a series of planning principles to help guide cities.
The Rights of Nature in New Zealand: Conversations with Kirsti Luke and Christopher Finlayson
H Crimmel, I Goeckeritz - ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment
Industrialized nations and their legal systems tend to view nature as property, as a resource from which wealth is extracted, and as a commodity to provide for human needs. But for millennia indigenous communities have viewed themselves as part of nature. As pressures on ecosystems mount and as conventional laws seem increasingly inadequate to address environmental degradation, many are turning to a new legal strategy known as the rights of nature, which includes giving nature legal personhood status.
The Development of the Connectedness to God Through Nature Scale: Efa, Cfa, and Preliminary Construct Validity
BM Ruf – PhD Biola University
This present study builds upon previous research that has identified spirituality, or specifically God image, i.e., experiential representations of God, as a mediator of the relationship between exposure to nature and psychological well-being to construct a new scale to assess connection to God through nature by adapting items from existing measures of spirituality and connectedness to nature to reflect connection to God, with the added component of engagement with nature.
Unpacking the causes and consequences of the extinction of experience
A Colléony, R Cohen-Seffer, A Shwartz - Biological Conservation
- We empirically tested the validity of the extinction of experience framework.
- We provided support for the framework but also showed complex relationships.
- Providing more opportunities can help maintain health and well-being in cities.
- Connecting people with nature can benefit both people and, indirectly, biodiversity.
- Enhancing the quality of nature interactions can help increase nature affinity.
Measuring Environmental Values and Identity
AC Sparks, GL Henderson, SK Sriram, ERAN Smith - Society & Natural Resources
This study the measures’ predictive powers of a number of scales in explaining a range of environmental behaviors. Connectedness to Nature and environmentalist identity were the strongest predictors of pro-environmental behavior in our sample, and our findings also suggested a difference in private versus public behaviors. Environmentalist identity was slightly stronger than the Connectedness to Nature in predicting public behaviors, while Connectedness to Nature was the strongest predictor of private behaviors. The New Ecological Paradigm and the cultural cognition scales were weaker predictors
Education / Learning / Development / Play
How and Why Did Outdoor Play Become a Central Focus of Scottish Early Learning and Care Policy?
M Perlman, N Howe, C Bergeron - Canadian Journal of Environmental Education
This paper examinesd how and why outdoor play became a focus of Scottish policy for early learning and care programs; we also documented opportunities and barriers to policy implementation. The outdoor play emphasis began as a bottom-up initiative, with a few early adopters serving as model programs. Perceptions that outdoor play programs were of higher quality than traditional indoor nursery programs helped alleviate concerns about children’s well-being, and elicited support from key policy actors promoting the policy. An innovative licensing body that shifted from a risk assessment to a risk/benefit approach was key in developing this policy.
Exploring student teachers' motivations and sources of confidence: the case of outdoor learning
A Barrable, A Touloumakos, L Lapere - European Journal of Teacher Education
This article explored teachers’ experiences both in general, and within a one-year ITE course in Scotland, employing a qualitative methodology. In particular, semi-structured interviews were used with seven ITE students. Results yielded through thematic analysis revealed mastery experiences as being preferred, while vicarious experiences were also seen as useful. In addition, previous experiences in adulthood and childhood impact on the motivation of student teachers to teach outdoors.
Contact with Nature can help ADHD children to cope with their symptoms. The state of the evidence and future directions for research
F Di Carmine, R Berto - Visions for Sustainability
The purpose of this mini-review is to offer an overview on what has been done until now on restorative research among ADHD children and indicate new directions for future research by a description of new areas of enquiry and final proposals for policy makers, parents and teachers in order to implement Nature-based interventions in the ADHD field.
A theoretical framework for designing smart and ubiquitous learning environments for outdoor cultural heritage
A Al-Khafaji, S Fallahkhair, E Haig - Journal of Cultural Heritage
This paper introduces a theoretical Framework for designing Smart and ubiquitous Learning Environments for outdoor cultural heritage sites, which was formulated based on the results of three field studies that were conducted for gathering user requirements. A set of general requirements was extracted from the framework to inform the design of a smart and ubiquitous learning environment proof-of-concept, SmartC, for which mobile and wearable technologies were utilised.
Scotland Embarks on a National Outdoor Play Initiative: Educator Perspectives
N Howe, M Perlman, C Bergeron, S Burns - Early Education and Development
The Scottish government is in the process of transforming their early childhood learning and care landscape by doubling the number of free hours of childcare for families and by requiring that all children in care spend a significant portion of each day outdoors. Research Findings and Policy revealed that educators working in outdoor play programs were more confident in supporting outdoor play, reported more benefits, risks, and challenges for both children and educators, and highlighted more barriers to implementing the new policy.
Health and Wellbeing
State of the Nation Report
The Government’s second annual report has provided an in-depth picture of the experiences of children and young people during the pandemic and how it affected their wellbeing.
Nature Exposure Achieves Comparable Health and Well-Being Improvements as Best Practice, Positive Psychology Interventions
D Heilmayr, TJ Miller - Ecopsychology
This study assessed the effects of spending time in nature for 2 weeks compared with participating in exercises adapted from positive psychology. Participants who received the nature exposure treatment improved in physical health, well-being, diligence, and fatigue to the same extent as the established interventions from positive psychology, and increased in nature identity above and beyond these comparison groups. In other words, nature may be just as good as established interventions for improving health and well-being while also promoting a connectedness with nature.
Urban Children's Well-Being Factors and Qualities of Being and Doing in Natural Space: Nature Immersion
M Nagata, P Liehr - Journal of Holistic Nursing
The purpose of this study was to increase the understanding of natural space qualities as factors of urban child well-being. Explanatory mixed methods were used. The factors of urban nature immersion affected child well-being over parental socioeconomic affluence alone. The evidence corresponds to Nightingale’s tenet that an act of doing, which is considered an action of the child’s own will, affects one’s sense of well-being. The findings indicate that nature immersion can be applied to urban child self-care and holistic nursing modalities.
The role of culture on the link between worldviews on nature and psychological health during the COVID-19 pandemic
BW Haas, F Hoeft, K Omura - Personality and Individual Differences
In this study, we measured individual differences in worldviews about nature and psychological health during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic within two different cultural contexts (Japan and United States). We found that across Japanese and American cultural contexts, holding a harmony-with-nature worldview was positively associated with improved psychological health during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also found that culture moderated the link between mastery-over-nature worldviews and negative affect. Americans showed a stronger link between mastery-over-nature worldviews and negative affect than Japanese.
A rapid scoping review of health and wellbeing evidence for the Framework of Green Infrastructure Standards (NEER015)
Natural England Evidence Review
This review of evidence for the health and wellbeing benefits of green infrastructure sets out the sizeable body of research that underlines the importance of creating more, bigger, better and joined-up green spaces, especially near to where people live, and to address inequalities. It also identifies the beneficial role of social interventions such as media campaigns to increase awareness of green spaces, or holding community events in a natural environment. Finally, it reviews the wider health and wellbeing role of green infrastructure, for example in nature recovery, addressing climate change and mitigating noise and air pollution.
A cross-sectional study of physical activity behaviour and associations with wellbeing during the UK coronavirus lockdown.
CJ Wood, J Barton, N Smyth - SportRxiv
The aims of this study were:
- To examine the impact of the lockdown restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic on PA behaviours;
- To explore the association between PA behaviours and wellbeing during lockdown;
- To explore the impact of lifestyle factors on PA and wellbeing during the lockdown
- To explore the key predictors of PA and wellbeing during lockdown
What is the best way of delivering virtual nature for improving mood?: An experimental comparison of high definition TV, 360º video, and computer generated virtual reality
Yeo,White, Alcock, Garside, SG Dean, Smalley & Gaterslaben - Journal of Environmental Psychology
- Virtual marine exposures reduced boredom and improve mood.
- Computer-generated Virtual Reality more beneficial than 360º video and standard TV.
- Virtual Reality induced presence and increased nature connectedness.
- Presence and nature connectedness mediated wellbeing benefits.
- Findings could have important implications for people in isolated confined settings
“It made me feel brighter in myself”-The health and well-being impacts of a residential front garden horticultural intervention
LS Chalmin-Pui et al - Landscape and Urban Planning
- Significant improvement in self-reported health were recorded after the introduction of the plants.
- Residents reported significant decreases in perceived stress post-intervention.
- The proportion of ‘healthy’ cortisol patterns increased from 24% to 53% after the intervention.
- The role of residential gardens in influencing health and well-being needs greater prominence in the public health agenda.
Blue space, health and well-being: A narrative overview and synthesis of potential benefits
MP White, LR Elliott, M Gascon, B Roberts, LE Fleming - Environmental Research
The current paper builds on existing frameworks to provide a model of how exposure to aquatic environments, or blue spaces such as rivers, lakes and the coast, in particular, may benefit health and well-being. Novel aspects of our framework included the inclusion of outcomes that are only indirectly good for health through being good for the environment, the addition of nature connectedness as both a trait and state, and feedback loops where actions/interventions to increase exposure are implemented.
Immigrant women, nature and mental health
CAN Lorentzen, B Viken - International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care
Qualitative content analysis revealed that interaction with nature positively influenced the immigrant women’s mental health. This occurred because of the following: exposure to nature itself, leading to mood enhancements; familiarization with the new country’s culture, nature, climate and language, facilitating feelings of mastery, attachment and belonging; social interactions, promoting immediate well-being and future social support; interacting with nature in familiar ways, reducing feelings of alienation/loss; and physical activity, improving mood and stress-related conditions. These mental health improvements were a result of interactions with various types of natural environments
Big Smile, Small Self: Awe Walks Promote Prosocial Positive Emotions in Older Adults
Sturm et al – Emotion
We investigated the emotional benefits of a novel “awe walk” intervention in healthy older adults. Compared with participants who took control walks, those who took awe walks experienced greater awe during their walks and exhibited an increasingly “small self” in their photographs over time. They reported greater joy and prosocial positive emotions during their walks and displayed increasing smile intensity over the study. Postintervention anxiety, depression, and life satisfaction did not change from baseline in either group.
RESOURCES
1 in 5 people in England have limited access to green space
Friends of the Earth research – Environmental Journal.
Bringing together official data on the availability of green space in communities, the researchers ranked neighbourhoods from A (the best access to green space) to E (the least access to green space).
Natural History Museum infographics demonstrating the impact of covid-19
Treacherous Fields and Bunny Girls
Dobrin – Book. EcoComix: Essays on the Environment in Comics and Graphic Novels
CONFERENCES / CALLS
COMMUNICATE 2020 26-27 November
The programme for Communicate 2020 is now online and available to download from the Communicate webpage
PHD Studentship Opportunity
The Natural England People and Nature Team are working with colleagues from Liverpool University, Sheffield University and CEH on two PhD CASE studentship funding proposals. These studentships will help answer some key research questions using data from the People and Nature and MENE surveys.
Invitation to Tender from the What Works Well-Being Centre - Understanding and modelling the relationship between individual and place-based community wellbeing.
MEDIA
Guardian Article on Care Farming
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