Britain has one of the weakest emotional and cultural connections to nature in the world, ranking 55th out of 61 countries in the first global study of “nature connectedness.”
The research, published in Ambio and based on surveys of 57,000 people, found Nepal to be the most nature-connected nation, followed by Iran, South Africa, Bangladesh, and Nigeria. At the bottom were the Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Israel, Japan, and Spain.
The study — led by Professor Miles Richardson of the University of Derby — measures how close people feel to the natural world, noting that stronger connections are linked to better wellbeing and more pro-environmental behavior.
Countries with higher levels of spirituality and religious belief tended to score better, while those with greater urbanisation, wealth, and internet use were less connected. Business-friendly economies also ranked lower.
Richardson said the UK’s poor ranking reflected its “rational, economic and scientific” culture: “We’ve gained much from modernisation, but lost a sense of balance. Nature needs to be seen as integral to wellbeing — even sacred.”
He urged more “natural thinking” in society, from mental health care and urban planning to corporate decision-making.
The bishop of Norwich, Graham Usher, added: “What we notice, we begin to love; what we love, we treasure; and what we treasure, we want to protect.”
