Nature connectedness

You may have heard the quote ‘we cannot protect something we do not love’, profoundly written by the influential Richard Louv, an American non-fiction author best known for his book Last Child in the Woods. This, however, is a misnomer of the full quote which reads: We cannot protect something we do not love, we cannot love what we do not know, and we cannot know what we do not see. Or hear. Or sense.
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Louv coined the term nature-deficit disorder to explore the negative effects of disassociation with nature, especially from a young age, as seen increasingly in modern societies. Rewilding cannot happen in a world where people are disconnected from nature, yet environmental education and engagement is often practised in traditional and largely ineffective knowledge-based theories.

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Conventional methods, including ‘stop-talk-walk’ nature walks can play a key role in engagement, however it has been found to be less effective than encouraging the formation of a connection to nature.Whilst leading an engagement session, you may want to ask yourself what outcomes you wish to achieve through the session or activity. Usually, the answer will be to educate people to care for nature and thus change people’s behaviour to be more pro-environmental. Many educators work on
the theory that the more someone knows about conservation and the environment, the better they will act, however, this is rarely shown to be the case.
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Let’s consider this, by reading this piece, you are presumably interested in the concept of rewilding and nature conservation. Now consider things that you do that aren’t the best for the environment, even though you have full knowledge of the consequences – do you occasionally jump in the car to visit the shops? Do you excitedly step onto aeroplanes for your holiday? Do you enjoy convenient and delicious snacks like chocolates or potato chips, wrapped in bright, shiny plastic? You likely know the impact of carbon footprints and the rapidly increasing effects of climate change, as well as the detrimental impacts of plastics in the oceans and on land, but you might still do these things. This is termed the ‘value-action gap’ and it goes to explain that there are many reasons why someone’s attitudes do not correlate to their actions. Now this isn’t to encourage feelings of guilt, quite the opposite, it is to put into question the concept that more knowledge leads to changes in behaviour.
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This is where Louv’s extended quote really comes into play, we protect what we love, we love what we know and we begin to know by seeing, hearing, and sensing. The Nature Connectedness Research Group from the University of Derby have found five key concepts that help form better connections to nature: sensory exploration, creating emotional bonds, appreciation of beauty, finding a personal deeper meaning and acts of compassion. These elements form the basis of nature connectedness and can be turned into incredibly effective tools in engaging people with any form of environmental work, including rewilding.
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Nature connectedness is important from a rewilding standpoint, as the collective actions of many, far outweigh the larger actions of a select few; education often focuses on the individual behaviour, yet for the most part has failed in bringing both individual and societal changes. Encouraging grass-roots, community actions will always be more effective than a top-down approach to rewilding and nature conservation. You must engage people into taking local actions, channelling the ‘think global, act local’ message.

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When hosting rewilding activities, do not fall into the trap of knowledge-overload. Knowledge is, of course, an important element to conservation, but encourage your participants to engage in nature using their senses, tuning into how nature makes them feel, reflecting on the beauty of nature, finding what nature means to them and participating in small pro-environmental acts such as a litter pick or tree planting to foster a love for nature. Activities can be tailored to the age and maturity of the group, but do not write off more ‘childish’ activities for adults – most adults are children at heart and rediscovering the joy of nature can be important in awakening a passion for the outdoors that many of us have had in our younger years.
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Here are a few ideas that may spark your own research and engagement:
- Sight is often our dominant sense, taking that away from a participant, regardless of age, can have a heightening effect on the other senses, allowing for a deeper connection with the space around them.
- Water and ‘blue prescribing’ is becoming increasingly more valued for its benefits on our mental wellbeing. Bodies of water are incredibly calming to us and can create a more peaceful environment to reflect on our emotions, what nature means to us and the beauty of nature. This may take the form of poetry, art, letters, folk stories, songs, or any creative expression.
- Acts of compassion and forming a pro-environmental identity can be vital to changing someone’s behaviour. Hosting volunteer sessions and creating a community of like-minded individuals, who make visible impacts at their local level, cannot be underestimated in the context of rewilding.
- Eco-anxiety is an increasing trend, especially amongst young people and it can stifle a person’s ability to act in a positive manner, crush their sense of hope and optimism and overwhelm them with guilt and negativity. Eco-anxiety is very real and the loss of hope it is causing is preventing more people from acting at a time when we need more action than ever. Always talk openly and candidly about the impacts of eco-anxiety, allow people to feel heard and validated in their feelings, explain that they are not alone in feelings of hopelessness and guilt and encourage them to find like-minded people. When in a group of like-minded people, small acts of compassion can really help ignite feelings of optimism and achievement that can translate into larger community and societal acts.
- Consider what people care about and place your rewilding projects into the centre of what is important to the community. Oftentimes, people care deeply about their children and families, if you want to gander support for your rewilding project, simple nature-based engagement activities based in or around schools, playing fields or sports centres may be the way forward. Pro-environmental acts such as tree planting, habitat restoration and litter picking can be engaging and suitable for many ages and abilities. Be prepared to think outside the box and tailor the sessions to the community.

About the writer:
Kashmir is a wildlife conservationist, with a particular interest in species reintroductions, as well as an engaging environmental educator, specialising in nature connectedness. She has worked around the globe working to restore biodiversity and has taught thousands of young people about the importance of nature. She is as a Trustee for Weird and Wonderful Animal (WAWA) Conservation, who aim to protect the world’s most unique species and support the conservationists who work with them.