Britain one of the least 'nature connected' nations, study finds

Britain is one of the least “nature connected” nations in the world, according to the first ever global study of how people relate to the natural world.

- Patrick Barkham

Britain ranks 55th out of 61 countries in the study of 57,000 people, which looked at how attitudes towards nature are shaped by social, economic, geographical and cultural factors.

The most nature-connected nation is Nepal, followed by Iran, South Africa, Bangladesh and Nigeria, according to the study, which is published in the journal Ambio. Croatia and Bulgaria are the only European nations in the top ten, followed by France in 19th place.

Below Britain are the Netherlands, English-speaking Canada, Germany, Israel, Japan and Spain, which is the least nature connected of the 61 nations surveyed.

Nature connectedness is a psychological concept that measures the closeness of an individual's relationship with other species. Studies have found that people with higher levels of nature connectedness enjoy improved wellbeing, and are more likely to act in environmentally friendly ways. Low levels of nature connectedness have been identified as one of three major underlying causes of biodiversity loss alongside inequality and the prioritisation of individual, material gains.