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| ntaw:nature_awareness [2026/03/13 14:50] – [Related topics] Katja Durrani | ntaw:nature_awareness [2026/03/26 18:33] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1 |
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| # Nature awareness | This topic is part of [[gt:learning|Learning & personal development]] and [[gt:bushcraft|Bushcraft & Nature]]. |
| | ====== Nature awareness ====== |
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| ## What is nature awareness? | ===== What is nature awareness? ===== |
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| It's understanding and appreciating the natural world. Nature awareness can be sparked at a young age by contact with pets, gardens, days at the beach or in the woods, or even books or TV programmes (David Attenborough has probably been responsible for igniting a love of nature in a lot of people). Unfortunately, a modern aspect of nature awareness is an understanding of the damage that is being done to nature, and more importantly, what can be done about it. Its importance can't be overstated, as humans are part of nature too, and what harms nature harms us. | It's understanding and appreciating the natural world. Nature awareness can be sparked at a young age by contact with pets, gardens, days at the beach or in the woods, or even books or TV programmes (David Attenborough has probably been responsible for igniting a love of nature in a lot of people). Unfortunately, a modern aspect of nature awareness is an understanding of the damage that is being done to nature, and more importantly, what can be done about it. Its importance can't be overstated, as humans are part of nature too, and what harms nature harms us. |
| Human beings evolved to be in nature and we have an instinctive connection to it. The [biophilia hypothesis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biophilia_hypothesis) suggests that there is an innate and necessary bond between us and other living things. It’s why we have pets or houseplants. These days, however, we are becoming increasingly disconnected from nature (and what contact we do have is often highly managed and sanitized), with serious consequences for humans and for nature. | Human beings evolved to be in nature and we have an instinctive connection to it. The [biophilia hypothesis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biophilia_hypothesis) suggests that there is an innate and necessary bond between us and other living things. It’s why we have pets or houseplants. These days, however, we are becoming increasingly disconnected from nature (and what contact we do have is often highly managed and sanitized), with serious consequences for humans and for nature. |
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| ### History | ==== History ==== |
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| Prior to the agricultural revolution, humans lived in groups of hunter-gatherers, and according to writers like [Murray Bookchin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_Bookchin), lived in harmony with nature, taking what they needed in terms of food, fuel, clothing, medicines and shelter, moving regularly so as not to deplete resources and not creating any waste that nature couldn't easily deal with - although they didn't live well alongside large mammals (such as sabre-tooth tigers, cave bears, mammoths, giant sloths etc.), which they often drove to extinction because they represented either danger or a too-easily harvested source of food. After the birth of agriculture, the relationship with nature became more of a struggle - to keep farmland weed- and pest-free and to prevent wild animals eating livestock or crops, for example. The aim was to 'tame' nature - until the Romantic movement in the 19th century made wild nature fashionable. However, interaction with it involved hunting, zoos, collecting butterflies etc. - studying by destroying. Nowadays, that attitude has changed in the West, and most people prefer photographs to stuffed animals, and safaris to zoos. Unfortunately though, Westerners flying to holidays in nature on the other side of the world is contributing to its destruction. Maybe the ideal would be for all of us to live in beautiful, natural places so that we don't feel the need to fly somewhere else to escape. | Prior to the agricultural revolution, humans lived in groups of hunter-gatherers, and according to writers like [Murray Bookchin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_Bookchin), lived in harmony with nature, taking what they needed in terms of food, fuel, clothing, medicines and shelter, moving regularly so as not to deplete resources and not creating any waste that nature couldn't easily deal with - although they didn't live well alongside large mammals (such as sabre-tooth tigers, cave bears, mammoths, giant sloths etc.), which they often drove to extinction because they represented either danger or a too-easily harvested source of food. After the birth of agriculture, the relationship with nature became more of a struggle - to keep farmland weed- and pest-free and to prevent wild animals eating livestock or crops, for example. The aim was to 'tame' nature - until the Romantic movement in the 19th century made wild nature fashionable. However, interaction with it involved hunting, zoos, collecting butterflies etc. - studying by destroying. Nowadays, that attitude has changed in the West, and most people prefer photographs to stuffed animals, and safaris to zoos. Unfortunately though, Westerners flying to holidays in nature on the other side of the world is contributing to its destruction. Maybe the ideal would be for all of us to live in beautiful, natural places so that we don't feel the need to fly somewhere else to escape. |
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| ## What are the benefits of nature awareness? | ===== What are the benefits of nature awareness? ===== |
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| As much as we may crave the ‘safety’ and predictability of the urban environment, it’s notable that even in large cities, property values are highest in proximity to natural, green spaces, suggesting that we all feel better when we live close to nature. A growing body of [empirical evidence](http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs40471-015-0043-7) has begun to demonstrate links between exposure to nature, specifically green vegetation, and better physical, emotional and mental health. Being outdoors also encourages you to move your body (something we all need to do more of) and hone your observation skills in a changing environment. | As much as we may crave the ‘safety’ and predictability of the urban environment, it’s notable that even in large cities, property values are highest in proximity to natural, green spaces, suggesting that we all feel better when we live close to nature. A growing body of [empirical evidence](http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs40471-015-0043-7) has begun to demonstrate links between exposure to nature, specifically green vegetation, and better physical, emotional and mental health. Being outdoors also encourages you to move your body (something we all need to do more of) and hone your observation skills in a changing environment. |
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| ## What can I do? | ===== What can I do? ===== |
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| Appreciating nature means getting down and dirty with it - getting yourself into mountains and forests, rivers and the sea, and getting your hands into the soil in your garden, allotment or window-box to [grow things](/smal/small). If you live near a park or in the countryside then nature is literally on your doorstep. Even the largest, most chaotic of cities have green pockets where you can go and watch the birds or smell the flowers. Nature is free and accessing it doesn’t have to be any more expensive than the cost of a bus or train ticket. | Appreciating nature means getting down and dirty with it - getting yourself into mountains and forests, rivers and the sea, and getting your hands into the soil in your garden, allotment or window-box to [grow things](/smal/small). If you live near a park or in the countryside then nature is literally on your doorstep. Even the largest, most chaotic of cities have green pockets where you can go and watch the birds or smell the flowers. Nature is free and accessing it doesn’t have to be any more expensive than the cost of a bus or train ticket. |
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| ## Further resources | ===== Forum ===== |
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| | This topic belongs to the section [[gt:learning|Learning & personal development]]. You can ask questions or add information on the corresponding [Forum section](https://forum.growingthecommons.org/t/learning). |
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| | It is also in the section [[gt:bushcraft|Bushcraft & Nature]] (Forum: [Bushcraft & Nature](https://forum.growingthecommons.org/t/bushcraft)). |
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| | ===== Further resources ===== |
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| - [Forest School Association](https://forestschoolassociation.org/) | - [Forest School Association](https://forestschoolassociation.org/) |
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| ## Related topics | ===== Related topics ===== |
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| - [[sail:Sail boats]] | - [[sail:Sail boats]] |
| - [[natt:Nature therapy]] | - [[natt:Nature therapy]] |
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| ## Specialist curators of this topic | ===== Specialist curators of this topic ===== |
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