Acting for Nature – A Psychologist’s Perspective
Image: Useful actions for nature based on Expert opinions
In the March 2022 Guest Blog, Lea Bartlett looks at how an understanding of human behaviour can have a beneficial effect on nature conservation.
Foto: FernUniversität in Hagen / Hardy Welsch
Nature is in trouble. Many animal and plant species are disappearing from our planet at a rate so fast that experts call it a mass extinction. And at the very core of what is causing this extinction is human behaviour. We know that this loss of biodiversity will have grave consequences for us, likely to be just as bad as climate change. And we know that, just as with climate change, by changing human behaviour we can avert the worst consequences. But that is easier said than done. Many people report that they want to do something for the environment but very few of them do. This is where psychologists come in: Psychological research can help understand human behaviour. What drives people to act for the environment? And how can we encourage them to act?
However, there’s a caveat: the focus of science and media is heavily skewed towards climate change, with eight times as many publications on climate change in scientific literature and print news than on biodiversity loss. This also shows when we look at which behaviours to change: the focus is often on climate change related behaviours. But conservation practitioners and experts have stated that nature conservation needs nature specific behaviours. Recent research has looked at how people can act for nature and why they do (or often, sadly, don’t).
Conservation experts agreed that a wide variety of behaviours could have an important impact on nature conservation. These behaviours can range from what people do in their gardens, like planting wildflowers for the bees, or leaving a hedgehog hole in their fences, to how they behave as citizens - for example how they vote, if they contact their MP about local and national conservation issues, or whether they volunteer for conservation organisations.
And what makes people do these things? So far, only little research has been carried out, but already one very important factor has been found: Nature connectedness. Nature connectedness describes a person’s emotional relationship with nature.
But what exactly does that look like? It includes the feeling of happiness that many people experience when they hear the birds sing or when they see a beautiful flower. It includes preferring vacations in nature rich spaces rather than cities. But it goes beyond just spending time in nature and acknowledging the link between positive emotion and nature. It includes your identity and self-perception. People with high nature connectedness see themselves as part of nature, rather than apart from it. And nature connectedness comes with a wide range of well-being benefits: lower stress-levels, a sense of both “feeling good” and “functioning well”, more happiness, etc.
So, connecting people to nature can help to ensure not only a healthier nature but also healthier people. And luckily, we do know how to help people to connect to nature.
Why don’t you try it you try it yourself? In the next few days, try to think of three good things you noticed in nature on a particular day and how that made you feel. You don’t need to go for a long walk in the woods for that. It could be something as simple as hearing a beautiful bird song through your window or enjoying the way the air smells after it rained.
About the Author
Dr. Lea Barbett is a researcher in pro-environmental psychology. Her work focuses on systematic research approaches to actions for nature and how these actions are influenced by people’s personal relationship with nature. She has recently completed her PhD at the University of Derby
Twitter: @LeaBarbett