The people of Nepal have the best relationship with nature, while Britons are some of the least “nature connected”, according to a comprehensive first-of-its-kind psychological study of 61 nations.
Research has shown that nurturing a nature-connected lifestyle, with better relationships with other species, can improve one’s psychological well-being and also protect biodiversity.
Studies have also shown that countries that do not foster such a behaviour among their people may face a higher risk of biodiversity loss.
However, very little is known about how nature connectedness varies across countries.
Now, a new psychology survey of 57,000 people across 61 countries reveals how cultural, economic, and geographical factors influence people’s attitudes towards nature.
The researchers found that Nepalese people are the most nature-connected, followed by the people of Iran, South Africa, Bangladesh and Nigeria.
Britain ranked 55th among the 61 countries, with the Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Israel, Japan and Spain making the last six on the list.
Several indicators are significantly linked to a country’s nature connectedness, according to the study, published in the journal Ambio.
Researchers led by Miles Richardson from the University of Derby found that the strongest such indicator was a high level of “spirituality” among its people.
This includes the culture of people feeling, thinking, and valuing their place in the living world, psychologists explained.
They also found that a high level of the World Bank-introduced measure called “ease of doing business” was associated with less nature connection.
“Surprisingly, there was a very weak correlation between nature connectedness and membership of environmental organisations,” researchers wrote in the study.
“Key findings suggest that socioeconomic conditions, biodiversity, spirituality, and attitudes towards technology are associated with nature connectedness,” they wrote.
Increased urbanisation, mean income and internet use were some of the other factors found linked to having less connection with nature.
Balancing spiritual evolution with technological development is key for countries to address their human-nature disconnect, scientists said.
“For a renewed relationship with nature, structural socioeconomic systems and biodiversity efforts must align with ‘techno-spiritual’ aspects,” they wrote.
Overall, the findings can provide practical ways to help further improve human–nature relationship, scientists noted.
Implementing better policies to increase people’s sensory, spiritual, and emotional engagement with nature in all parts of life, including education, health, housing, and arts, can benefit countries, they concluded.
