In a recent study published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, an international team of researchers led by the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig examined the growing geographic distance between humans and nature, specifically pertaining to the geographic distance between a person’s home and the nearest natural area. This study holds the potential to help us better understand the widening interaction gap between humanity and Earth’s natural environment.
For the study, the researchers estimated a seven percent increase in a person’s home and the nearest natural area since 2000, equating to an average geographic distance of 6 miles (9.7 kilometers). They discovered the highest average was in Europe and East Asia, which includes 13.6 miles (22 kilometers) in Germany and 10 miles (16 kilometers) in France.
"What is striking is that all other countries in the world are following a similar pattern," says Dr. Victor Cazalis, who is a postdoctoral researcher at iDiv and Leipzig University, and lead author of the study.
The researchers also demonstrated that there has also been a worldwide reduction of tree cover within cities since 2000, as well, specifically in Southeast Asia and Central Africa.
"This finding suggests that the possibility for the urban population to access green spaces is reducing as well," says Dr. Gladys Barragan-Jason, who is a researcher at the Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, and a co-author on the study. "Indeed, the study reveals that the destruction of natural areas combined with a strong increase in urban population is leading to a growing spatial distance between humans and nature, especially in Asia, Africa and South America."
The researchers also examined past scientific publications that explored nature experiences, to include national park hiking and secondhand settings such as books, video games, and even cartoons. They discovered an overall reduction in camping and nature park visitations in both the United States and Japan, and even a reduction in observations of species of flowers by Japanese children.
"The knowledge about these human-nature interactions is crucial, as they are key in the construction of our relationship with nature and our behaviors," says Dr. Cazalis. “We need to maintain a good connection with nature in order to enable the necessary societal transformations of the 21st century. Only then can humanity 'live in harmony with nature by 2050' as ambitioned by our governments through the Global Biodiversity Framework that is being discussed currently in the COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity."
Sources: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
