How close\u00a0do you feel to nature? We\u2019re not\u00a0on about how long it takes you to walk to your\u00a0local park or how many hours you spend in the great outdoors, we\u2019re talking about how\u00a0emotionally\u00a0close you feel to the natural world.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Given that\u00a0UK is packed with beautiful protected national parks<\/a>, spectacular islands<\/a> and miles of breathtaking scenery<\/a>, you may assume that as a nation we\u2019ve got a pretty\u00a0healthy relationship with\u00a0our flora and fauna. But\u00a0you\u2019d be wrong. In the one of the first ever global studies<\/a> on how \u2018nature connected\u2019 different populations are,\u00a0the UK landed\u00a0in a shameful 55th out of 61.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nature connectedness\u00a0is a\u00a0psychological concept that measures\u00a0people\u2019s emotional\u00a0relationship to the natural world. According to the study, a closer connection with nature is associated with improved human wellbeing and more environmentally-friendly behaviour.\u00a0<\/p>\n Researchers spoke to 57,000 people and concluded\u00a0that countries with high levels of spirituality, like Nepal, are more likely to have a close relationship with nature. At the other end of the spectrum, the more \u2018business-friendly\u2019 a nation is, the less likely they are to feel close to the natural world. The\u00a0research\u00a0also found a lack of connection with nature to be linked to higher\u00a0levels of urbanisation, higher mean income and greater internet use.\u00a0<\/p>\n So, maybe we can take some lessons\u00a0from Nepal, Iran and South Africa, which were the top three most nature connected countries.\u00a0Miles Richardson, a professor at the University of Derby who led the study, said that Britain can improve its connectedness to nature through\u00a0better use of natural environments in NHS treatments of mental and public health, developing the rights of nature in law, and bringing nature into business decisions\u00a0with regulations such as biodiversity net gain.\u00a0<\/p>\n He told the Guardian<\/a>: \u2018[The UK] has\u00a0become a more rational, economic and scientific society. That\u2019s obviously brought some fantastic benefits but it\u2019s how we balance them with the unforeseen problems.<\/p>\n \u2018How do we reintegrate natural thinking in our very technological world? It\u2019s obviously very difficult to change cultures but it\u2019s about mainstreaming the value of nature, making it integral to our wellbeing, so it becomes respected and almost sacred.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s not just about putting a park in. How do you create sacred urban nature? It\u2019s easy to build a park but it needs to go deeper than that.\u2019<\/p>\n ICYMI:\u00a0A huge \u2018nature park\u2019 is coming to Liverpool city centre<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n And did you see that a\u00a0wild beaver\u00a0was\u00a0spotted in\u00a0Norfolk for the first time in 500 years<\/a>?<\/p>\n