Britain is one of the least ‘connected to nature’ countries in the world – with Nepal the biggest | Environment

Britain is one of the least “connected to nature” nations in the world, according to the first-ever global study of how people relate to the natural world.

Britain ranks 55th out of 61 countries in a study of 57,000 people, which examines how attitudes towards nature are shaped by social, economic, geographical and cultural factors.

The country most connected to nature is Nepal, followed by Iran, South Africa, Bangladesh and Nigeria, according to the study published in the journal Ambio. Croatia and Bulgaria are the only European nations to make the top 10, followed by France in 19th place.

Below Britain are the Netherlands, English-speaking Canada, Germany, Israel, Japan and Spain, which is the least connected to nature of the 61 countries studied.

Connectedness with nature is a psychological concept that measures the closeness of an individual’s relationship with other species. Studies have shown that people with higher levels of connection with nature enjoy better well-being and are more likely to act in environmentally friendly ways. Low levels of connectivity with nature have been identified as one of the three main underlying causes of biodiversity loss, alongside inequality and the prioritization of individual and material gains.

British and Austrian researchers, led by Miles Richardson, professor of nature connectivity at the University of Derby, found that the strongest indicator of a close relationship with nature was the high level of “spirituality” in a society. More religious societies and cultures where faith was preferred over science had high levels of connection with nature.

In contrast, the study also found that “ease of doing business” – a World Bank measure of a country’s business-friendly nature – was correlated with less connection to nature.

Although Britain is considered to have one of the highest rates of membership in environmental organizations in the world, this seemingly pro-nature indicator has been found to have little impact on closeness to nature.

More concrete factors the study found to be linked to lack of connection to nature include levels of urbanization, average income and internet use.

“Connectedness with nature is not just about what we do, but also about how we feel, think and value our place in the living world,” said Richardson, who admitted he was not surprised that Britain languished so low in the rankings of connections with nature.

“We have become a more rational, economic and scientific society. That has obviously brought fantastic benefits, but it’s how we balance them with the unforeseen problems,” he said. “How do we reintegrate natural thinking into our very technological world? It is obviously very difficult to change culture, but it is about integrating the value of nature, making it an integral part of our well-being, so that it becomes respected and almost sacred.”

According to Richardson, ways to foster connection with nature could include better use of natural environments in NHS mental and public health treatments; developing nature’s rights in law and integrating nature into boardrooms and business decisions through regulations such as biodiversity net gain.

He admitted the study revealed a tension between business and the environment. “We still need a functioning economy,” he said. “There are ways to rethink the way we do business – integrating nature into decision-making, nature into boardrooms and biodiversity net gain. They can start to change the system, where nature is not just treated as a resource but as a stakeholder.”

Although bringing nature into urban areas could reinvigorate the connection with nature in highly urban societies, Richardson added: “It’s not just about building a park. How do you create sacred urban nature? It’s easy to build a park but you have to go deeper than that.”

The correlation between connection to nature and “spirituality” across countries was discovered using measures of the importance of religion, belief in a god and faith in different countries, recorded by the World Values ​​Survey.

Graham Usher, Bishop of Norwich and head of environmental affairs for the Church of England, said: “We have long known that going out into nature is good for the body, mind and soul. In the Gospels we continually encounter Jesus going out into nature alone to be with God; he notices the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. I believe that what we notice, we begin to love, and what we love, we cherish, and that that we cherish, we want to protect it It all starts with children and that is why activities like Forest School and Wild Church are important for people and nature.