Ideas for Building Nature Connectedness - Insights From The Outdoor Connection
Supporting people to feel connected to nature is important for many of the communities in our network, but what does ‘Nature Connectedness’ really mean, and how do we integrate it? We’ve got three ideas for incorporating Nature Connectedness into your work from Hannah Lee, Project SIARC.
These top tips are taken from a live event at The Outdoor Connection 2024 - ‘Nature Connection - Different Interests, Different Opportunities’ facilitated by Hannah.
Through a series of articles, we’re sharing key takeaways from some of the sessions at The Outdoor Connection 2024. You can find the full list of articles here.
The Outdoor Connection is an All The Elements x YHA Outdoor Citizens partnership event, supported by YHA England and Wales, Natural England and Sport England. It brings together community groups, organisations, system partners and brands, working to support access to nature and the outdoors to share experiences, learn from each other and develop new skills.
Meet The Expert:
Dr Hannah Lee (She/Her)
Hannah is White, British born with Scottish, English and Indigenous American heritage and grew up in Chesterfield, Derbyshire with a dream of working in conservation when she ‘grew up’. Living and working in North Wales for Project SIARC Hannah works on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in marine conservation as an EDI Community officer at ZSL (Zoological Society of London) and NRW (Natural Resources Wales). Prior to working for Project SIARC she worked as an outdoor instructor, in research, teaching, hospitality, animal care and people engagement.
About Project SIARC
Project SIARC (Welsh for Shark) or Sharks Inspiring Action and Research with Communities, works together with fishers, local communities, researchers and government across Wales to safeguard and celebrate sharks, skates and rays in Wales. Working closely together and exchanging learning with the wider ZSL FAIRER Conservation Programme (Fair, Accountable, Inclusive, Respectful, Equitable and Reflective Conservation) Project SIARC are integrating FAIRER principles and social safeguarding approaches to work towards increasing fairer, more equitable access to opportunities for people to experience the coast and sea in Wales.
Find out more about Project SIARC via their website.
What is Nature Connectedness?
According to the University of Derby Nature Connectedness research group: “Nature Connectedness captures the relationship between people and the rest of nature.”
It’s a definition that is intentionally open to interpretation. Hannah shares what this means to her - “To me that says Nature Connectedness can be anything. It’s unique, it's individual, it's dependent on the person or group that is experiencing it.”
She goes on to explain that it is your personal experience of, and relationship to, nature. Everyone’s experiences will be different and the concept of Nature Connectedness is a reflection of our individual diversity of thought and our own identities. No two people will experience nature in the same way.This is celebrated and you are encouraged to pursue the experiences that you enjoy, and leave the parts that you personally don’t connect with.
Hannah emphasises this, “It doesn't matter what someone else's personal experience is. Nature Connectedness is very much unique to you and to those that you work with, the people you represent, and the people around you. We can experience it how we want, where we want and when we want.”
Finishing with her own experiences, she says, “For me it might be a walk on the beach - I’m very much a sea baby - but it might also be listening to the birds singing outside my window in the morning. I also realised that it comes through the choices I make with the clothes that I wear. I have a pair of these earrings of seashells and that for me is like taking my connection to the wider coast wherever I go.”
Three Ideas for Nature Connectedness - Citizen Science, Technology and Art
Nature Connectedness can take many shapes and forms, here are three different ways to foster a deeper relationship with the rest of nature that can either be incorporated into other events or run as stand alone activities.
Citizen Science
Citizen Science is a way everyone can get involved with large research projects, using the power of people to capture or analyse data on a scale that might not be possible otherwise. Individuals capture data locally or when they travel, so scientists can get many, many more data points than are usually possible for one scientist or one team. You don’t usually need to know anything about the project beforehand as the Citizen Science initiatives provide the training or guidance you need to be able to take part. It’s a great way of developing Nature Connectedness because it creates an opportunity to learn more about the world around you whilst also contributing to research that can help protect it.
For example, if there was a project looking to identify bee populations you might be provided with the skills you need to identify that species of bee and you can look out for them whenever you are outdoors. There are also many projects that can be done at home. Hannah shares a ZSL run project called ‘Instant Wild’ where video clips from underwater surveys are uploaded online so “citizen scientists can go on to Instant Wild and tag the animals they're seeing. Through that process people have the opportunity to learn about the animals that are in Welsh waters, but they also have the opportunity to develop their own skills.”
Here are some other places you can find out about citizen science projects.
These catalogues are great places to find remote citizen science projects
Zooniverse - A platform that connects researchers with volunteers, with over 150 research projects across a range of subject areas.
EU-Citizen.science - An online platform for sharing knowledge, tools, training and resources for citizen science.
Scistarter: An online citizen science hub with thousands of projects that are searchable by location, topic, age level, etc.
Examples of in-person citizen science projects
Shark Trusts The Great Eggcase Hunt - Eggcase hunting can be done on any beach at any time of year.. Search amongst washed up seaweed for empty eggcases of sharks and skates and report your finds to help increase the availability of information on species presence and diversity across the UK coast. If you’re in Wales and reporting your finds don’t forget to add ‘Project SIARC’ in the organisation field to connect your finds to the project
The Marine Conservation Societies Great British Beach Clean and other similar programmes - Volunteers note down all the items they find in a 100m stretch of beach. This data helps track litter back to source, and supports campaigns for change. Beach cleans usually happen all over the UK.
RSPBs Big garden bird watch - Simply choose an hour between 24-26 January 2025 and count the birds you see in your garden, from your balcony, or in your local park.
Keep Wales Tidy Litter picking hubs: Providing litter picking equipment.
Planet Patrol – Litter & water quality - They combine free outdoor activities such as paddle boarding with data capture at litter clean ups.
Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count - A UK wide survey, in July & August, where you count the number of butterflies to help assess the health of the environment.
Bumblebee Conservation Trust BeeWalk - A national citizen-science recording scheme, established to monitor the abundance of bumblebees across the UK.
A final piece of advice Hannah shares about Citizen Science projects is that many of them can offer free equipment or support. “If you see a citizen science project,” Hannah explains, “have a look at the website or get in contact with that organisation to ask what resources or support are available to your group to get outside. It might be that they'll be able to help with transport costs or with organising a guide.”
Hannah finding nature connectedness with a cheerful group of litter pickers in a very rainy town.
Technology For Nature Connectedness
Learning about the world around us can play an important role in our relationship to it. Technology is often thought of as taking us away from nature, but there are a number of apps that can help us to learn more about the plants and animals that live on our doorsteps wherever we are.
Apps Hannah recommends:
Google Lens - The benefit of this app is that many people already have it on their phone which makes it an easy way to get started with nature identification. Simply take a photo and allow Google to search for it.
Seek by iNaturalist - Use the power of image recognition technology to identify the plants and animals all around you. Designed specifically for plant and animal identification the results are often more accurate and informative than Google Lens.
Bird Net - This app is a way of identifying birds from their call and can currently identify around 3,000 of the world’s most common species. They also have a live submissions map which is a great way of learning about the species you might expect to see in your area.
Merlin Bird ID - This is another app that helps with bird identification, but as well as listening to the call this app can help you to identify birds that you have seen by asking you three simple questions and giving you a list of possible matches.
Star Walk 2 - Turning your phone to the sky rather than the ground, Star Walk 2 enables you to see a real-time interactive sky map on the screen of your phone and enjoy stars, planets, and constellations.
Wales Coast Explorer / Crwydro Arfordir Cymru - For anyone living in or visiting Wales this app is a full guide to the Welsh Coastline with information to help you discover the coast and find ancient sites, animal and plant identification for Welsh wildlife and the ability to record your trip including Citizen Science projects to join.
We also love Go Jauntly co-founded by friend of All The Elements Hana Sutch. Go Jauntly describe themselves as “a walking app that brings you happiness outdoors”. You can discover and share nature-filled walking routes, and it also has an amazing ‘Nature Notes’ feature that encourages you to notice the good things you see in nature every day.
Art as a Form of Nature Connectedness
Similar to Nature Connectedness, art can look very different for different people. Where one person might draw or paint, another might write or make music, someone else might weave textiles or throw pottery. What runs throughout these art practices is their ability to support us to connect to the natural world around us. Whether that is through using them to create a deeper relationship with the rest of nature or through connecting to the natural elements within the medium itself.
Hannah described her idea for a local art-based Nature Connectedness project. “There is someone in our community who makes watercolour paints out of plants,” she explains. “I really wanted to collaborate with her to create a watercolour set from our habitat and home. And then, over time, we could use those paints to create a picture of the place the paints came from.”
When we create art within a location, it invites us to slow down and pay attention to the environment around us. Hannah describes it as a tool that we can use to “look, think about or explore the sport, activity or place that you are interested in.” There is a wide range of ways that this can be applied that match your interests. She gives us some more examples: “It could be music, you could have a dance session. You could have a feast. You could ask everyone to bring something that means something to them and create sharing circles.”
More Ways to Foster Nature Connectedness
There are an infinite number of ways to incorporate Nature Connectedness more into our work and lives. During Hannah’s session at The Outdoor Connection 2024, delegates came together to share the ways they foster Nature Connectedness co-creating this list:
Creativity & Storytelling
Writing in a journal
Have attentive conversations
Sharing stories
Reading a book quietly
Reading a book out loud in a group
Sharing stories of your previous trip with others of the place you went
Creating space for intergenerational sharing
Sharing your discoveries with others
Using Our Senses
Listening to sounds of nature and the outdoors
Listening for wildlife from the big (birds, squirrels, rabbits, sheep etc) to the small (ants, beetles, butterflies etc.)
Lying on the ground and bathing in nature
Feeling the woods
Naming what you can smell
Spotting wildlife
Looking up at the stars
Moon gazing (throughout the day)
Searching for things in your nature spot that represent the colour of the rainbow
Other Suggestions
Looking under rocks
Enjoying the journey – The drive or journey to get to a place can become part of the activity, for some it might signify getting out to ‘freedom’
Sharing travel – both removing barriers to get to a place, reducing the use of many vehicles and a chance to socialise
Leaving your phone in your pocket
Searching rockpools
Searching for snail shells
Getting dirty
Teaching others about the space around you, allow yourself to be taught by others in the group
Swapping around in your group and talk to lots of different people
Sharing Food
Preparing food
Cooking food
Sharing food
Growing food or have a feast
Having a picnic
Mindfulness & Prayer
Breathe
Partaking in prayer
Grounding – imagine yourself rooted in outdoor space like the roots of a tree
Outdoor Activities
Walking
Surfing
Kayaking
Canoeing
Going for a swim – take a flask of warm water with you to run over your feet afterwards or if people don’t feel comfortable swimming start with putting your feet in a bucket of water while listening to the waves/river/water nearby
Sea fishing
Fishing
Playing football on the beach, in the woods, on a hill
Fossil hunting
Hunting for nature’s treasure & sharing nature’s treasure with each other
Engaging in Play
Activities that support both adults and kids to play
Climbing a tree
Playing loudly
Playing quietly
Playing a board game outdoors
Practical Activities
Sleeping in a hammock
Making a bed outdoors out of blankets
Foraging (important note: the apps suggested in this blog should not be used as a foraging identification tool)
Building a shelter
Taking litter from your trip
Doing a beach clean (or do a litter pick from your choice of sporting activity)
Cleaning off your outdoor gear – discuss why e.g. limiting the spread of invasive plants
If you’ve enjoyed this article please do find out more about Project SIARC. We’d love to know if you use any of the tools we’ve shared, let us know by leaving a comment or emailing us hello@alltheelements.co .
The Outdoor Connection is an event run in partnership between Outdoor Citizens and All the Elements, with thanks to YHA (England & Wales), Natural England and Sport England. We’ll be sharing more insights and learnings over the next few months, so make sure you are signed up to our newsletter so that you don’t miss any resources. You can find out more about The Outdoor Connection here.
Further Resources
