This is the final part of a late 2016 round up from Natural England of research on the benefits to be had from being in the natural environment …
Diversity and Inclusion at Heritage Organizations
A Davis, A Ifill, LAW Tamai – Forum Journal, 2016
This interview explores diversity and inclusion as organizational priorities at heritage organizations. Interviewees from three organizations in the US discuss their organizations’ missions and scopes, projects and plans, and partnerships as they relate to diversity and inclusion. Interviewees touch on both tangible and intangible heritage resources.
Subjective well-being indicators for large-scale assessment of cultural ecosystem services
R Bryce et al – Ecosystem Services, 2016
The integration of cultural ecosystem services (CES) into the ecosystem services framework remains a challenge due to the difficulties associated with defining, articulating and measuring CES. We operationalise a novel framework developed by the UK National Ecosystem Assessment that identifies CES as the interactions between environmental spaces (i.e. physical localities or landscapes), and the activities that occur there. We evaluate the benefits of the CES provided by 151 UK marine sites to recreational sea anglers and divers, using subjective well-being indicators.
Learning to feel well at Jamtli Museum: A case study
A Hansen – Journal of Adult and Continuing Education, 2016
This article shares a case study of collaboration between Jamtli Museum and a local hospital in Sweden that aimed to provide adult learning opportunities for people with diverse mental health issues. Findings show some differences between how women and men experienced the visits, as well as a marked increase in participants’ confidence, social skills and senses of well-being. New knowledge gained on historical agriculture, as well as skills through working experientially with animals, changed how participants viewed their own capabilities and competencies.
Public visual preferences for dead wood in natural boreal forests: The effects of added information
V Gundersen, EE Stange, BP Kaltenborn, OI Vistad – Landscape and Urban Planning, 2017
This study investigated public preferences for natural boreal forests, including their perceptions of important structural elements for biodiversity like dead and downed wood. Survey participants (N = 2701) rated photographs of forest settings with dead wood digitally removed substantially higher than the corresponding original non-edited photographs. However, respondents’ familiarity with the ecological role dead wood provides for forest biodiversity and natural forest dynamics increased their perception of its appearance.
Outdoor Play Decisions by Caregivers of Children with Disabilities: a Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies
J Sterman et al – Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 2016
Children with developmental disabilities participate less in outdoor play than their typical peers. Typically, adults make decisions about children’s play routines, especially for children with developmental disabilities. Results showed caregivers, families, schools, and communities consider many factors when deciding about when, where, how, and if outdoor play occurs. Factors comprised: motivation for participation in outdoor play; social and built environments; familial and school considerations including time and finances; caregivers’ awareness of opportunities; and child considerations such as their skills, health, and interests.
Re-configuring inclusion, decolonising practice: Digital participation and learning in Black women’s community-led heritage
R Clarke, RM Lewis – Journal of Adult and Continuing Education, 2016
This article explores an innovative model of adult education within museums developed from a Black feminist approach. BAM! Sistahood! is a community-led project with regional heritage organisations, universities and women’s centres in the UK, that offers a holistic approach to heritage development. We argue that to be transformative, adult education processes must be sensitive to barriers in participation and encourage shared learning opportunities and change within institutions.
Changes in Late Adolescents and Young Adults’ Attachment, Separation, and Mental Health During Wilderness Therapy
JE Bettmann, A Tucker, E Behrens, M Vanderloo – Journal of Child and Family Studies, 2016
The study explored changes in young adults’ mental health, attachment, and separation from parents during a seven-week wilderness therapy program. Participants reported less resentment and anger towards mothers from pre to post treatment, but an increase in their needs for approval from fathers. The study details a link between young adults’ attachment, independence from parents, and improvement in mental health, suggesting that treatment which targets these links more effective.
‘Every Time They Ride, I Pray:’Parents’ Management of Daughters’ Horseback Riding Risks
L Sanchez – Sociology of Sport Journal, 2016
This study uses qualitative interviews with parents of horseback riding daughters aged to explore parents’ perceptions of risk and their risk management strategies, as their daughters engage in horse sports and recreation. First parents are keenly aware of risks in equestrian sports and liken them to risks from automobile accidents and other high-risk sports. Second, parents manage these risks by working diligently to enhance safety and manage their own emotions. Third, they willingly assume these risks as a part of their fundamental commitment to honor their daughters’ desires, natural skills, and dreams as equestrian athletes.
Physical Environmental Correlates of Domain-Specific Sedentary Behaviours across Five European Regions (the SPOTLIGHT Project).
Compernolle S et al. PubMed
The relation between neighbourhood environmental factors and domain-specific sedentary behaviours among adults remains unclear. This study firstly aims to examine the association of perceived and objectively measured neighbourhood safety, aesthetics, destinations and functionality with transport-related, work-related and leisure-time sedentary behaviour. Secondly, the study aims to assess whether these associations are moderated by age, gender or educational level. Preliminary evidence was found for associations between neighbourhood environmental factors and domain-specific sedentary behaviours among adults.
Multiple health benefits of urban tree canopy: the mounting evidence for a green prescription
Ulmer et al Health & Place, Volume 42
The purpose of this study was to enhance the understanding of the health-promoting potential of trees in an urbanized region of the United States. The results indicated that more neighborhood tree cover, independent from green space access, was related to better overall health, primarily mediated by lower overweight/obesity and better social cohesion, and to a lesser extent by less type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and asthma.
Contemplative Approaches to Sustainability in Higher Education
Hughes et al. Book
Contributors in this book present both a rationale as well as a theoretical framework for incorporating reflective and contemplative pedagogies to help students pause, deepen their awareness, think more carefully, and work with complexity in sustainability-focused courses. Also offering a variety of relevant, timely resources for faculty to use in their classrooms
Developing Early Literacy and Eco-consciousness in French Immersion through Daily Nature Walks: A Case Study of Teacher Reflection
L Varga – 2016
This case study, integrates place-based education in a primary French Immersion classroom. In response to experiential and sensory learning experiences, students demonstrated engagement and enjoyment as well as development of eco-consciousness and the four language skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking. With an emergent curriculum practice, teachers can support literacy development with a practice of outdoor learning to support developing eco-consciousness and sense of place.
The Role of Care in Environmental Education
CF Quigley, R Lyons –Chapter in book. Exploring Emotions, Aesthetics and Wellbeing in Science Education Research, 2017
In thi Natural Environment s chapter, we utilize a critical approach to environmental education which purports teachers’ need to support students’ understanding of the reasons for environmental problems, encourage them to deconstruct normative rhetoric around environmental issues. This work relates to current research on well-being but also draws on emotions literature to introduce a focus on care. The experience, a student-initiated investigation of the Aedes mosquito, describes nurturing an ethic of care in environmental science in a middle school setting.
Pokémon Go: Benefits, Costs, and Lessons for the Conservation Movement
LJ Dorward, JC Mittermeier, C Sandbrook, F Spooner – Conservation Letters, 2016
Pokémon Go, an augmented reality (AR) smartphone game, replicates many aspects of real-world wildlife watching and natural history by allowing players to find, capture, and collect Pokémon, which are effectively virtual animals. In this paper, we consider how the unprecedented success of Pokémon Go as a smartphone game might create opportunities and challenges for the conservation movement.. We suggest a number of ways in which Pokémon Go could be adapted to increase its conservation impact, and how new conservation-orientated AR games could be created.
YouTube Nature Preferences: A Content Analysis Study
RF Reese et al – The Journal of Humanistic Counseling 2016
Considering that increased urbanization will continue well into this century, humanistic counselors must reevaluate methods for integrating nature into counseling settings. The use and preferences of nature media accessed through YouTube were studied as a way to begin exploring the indirect ways in which counselors might infuse nature into counseling.
Let’s go outside! Environmental restoration amongst adolescents and the impact of friends and phones
A Greenwood, B Gatersleben – Journal of Environmental Psychology, 2016
In a field experiment with 120 16–18 year olds in the UK we tested restoration of stress and mental fatigue in an outdoor or indoor environment, alone, with a friend or while playing a game on a mobile phone. The findings showed greater restoration amongst adolescents who had been in an outdoor setting containing natural elements, compared with those who had been in an indoor one. Moreover, being with a friend considerably increased positive affect in nature for this age group.
Re-creating Wilderness 2.0: Or getting back to work in a virtual nature
J Stinson – Geoforum, 2016
In this paper, the term “Wilderness 2.0” refers to the articulation of new media technologies, including mobile digital devices, web 2.0 and locative media, with the practice of wilderness recreation. While much public and academic debate about Wilderness 2.0 has focused on the extent to which new media technologies connect people to, or disconnect them from, nature, this paper argues that wilderness is not a static and essential reality that can simply be connected to or disconnected from, but a social construct that is continually re-created in different cultural contexts.
Dieter Helm, on behalf of the Natural Capital Committee, wrote an introductory letter to Andrea Leadsom MP (following her appointment as Defra Secretary of State) emphasising the important of the Pioneer projects which Defra is developing to test out various aspects of the 25 year plan; and the 25 year plan itself. Andrea Leadsom’s reply sets out a commitment to both.
Letter of 22 July 2016 from Dieter Helm to Andrea Leadsom MP
Letter of 24 August 2016 from Andrea Leadsom MP to Dieter Helm.
Nature based solutions for sustainable and resilient cities
April 4-7 2017. Italy
Local wellbeing local growth: Resource for local authorities produced by PHE Health Equity. This resource, developed with local areas, brings together the arguments for a Health in All Policies (HIAP) approach with a set of practical examples of implementation from the UK and around the world. It highlights potential benefits and co-benefits of adopting HIAP locally presented with a set of high-impact infographics on a selection of priority themes such as insecure employment, mental health, obesity, appropriate housing, giving every child best start in life and public and green spaces. For more information visit Gov.uk and contact Lina.Toleikyte@phe.gov.uk.
POST (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology) provides briefings of research in a policy context for Parliamentary use. Latest editions include:
Greenspace and health
Creating Age Friendly Cities
Infographics from Children and Nature Network’s Green Schoolyards project, including mental and physical health.
At the Building Prosperous Cities conference organised by the Ecosystems Knowledge Network in September, a set of natural capital accounts for all of Sheffield’s greenspace were released. These were the first city-wide accounts of this type. A briefing note has been released to summarise the findings.
Sports England have created A new guide to help create high quality research The guide aims to help users understand:
what research is and when it is needed
how to define research objectives and write a research brief
qualitative and quantitative research
how to define and recruit a sample
how to choose an appropriate research method.
The Centre for Diet and Activity Research has produced an evidence briefing to understand how children’s physical activity levels vary throughout the year. In the UK, children’s physical activity shows seasonal variation. Activity levels are lower in autumn and winter, with more pronounced variation at the weekend. Day length and weather conditions are likely the drivers of these patterns, but the effects vary by age.
Children and Nature Network The Children & Nature Network curates and summarizes peer-reviewed scientific literature to help build the evidence base for advancing the children and nature movement.