Humans are losing their connection to nature – it’s time to act
This article explores the accelerating loss of human connection to nature and why it matters – not only for the environment, but for health, culture and the future of cities. Drawing on recent research, it shows how nature disconnection has become a systemic risk, and outlines practical pathways to reverse it: through culture and storytelling, childhood education, nature-based solutions, urban design and health policy. The piece frames nature not as an amenity, but as essential infrastructure – central to wellbeing, resilience and long-term societal stability.
Over the past two centuries, humanity’s connection to nature has sharply declined. A recent study led by Miles Richardson, Professor of Nature Connectedness at the University of Derby, found that people’s relationship with the natural world has fallen by more than 60% since 1800. The research revealed an interesting parallel: as our connectedness to nature weakened, so too did our language for describing it. Words such as “blossom”, “meadow” and “river” have steadily disappeared from literature, reflecting a broader cultural drift away from the natural environment.
This decline carries a lot of meaning. Richardson argues that “nature connectedness is now accepted as a key root of the environmental crisis.” Without feeling part of nature, we are less likely to protect it, or even notice when it’s in decline. A study in Sheffield, UK, underscores the scale of our disconnection: residents there spend an average of just four minutes and 36 seconds in natural spaces each day.
Evidence shows that spending time in nature improves both mental and physical health. Children who grow up surrounded by green space can show better cognitive performance, while early exposure to nature is linked to lower levels of anxiety and depression. Forest bathing studies in Japan have shown that time spent in wooded environments can reduce stress hormones, lower blood pressure and heart rate, and even boost immune function. These findings point to a fundamental truth: our wellbeing is inseparable from the health of the natural world.
Richardson’s team also modelled future trends, with worrying results. Without significant societal change, our connection to nature will continue to erode. So what can we do?
Use culture to inspire change
The decline in nature-related language is a clue to where solutions can lie: in culture. Culture shapes how we perceive the world and can shift the way people behave. Research across 47 countries found that cultural factors influence how environmental concern translates into action.
Storytelling and narrative approaches are emerging as particularly powerful cultural tools. Research demonstrates that climate change messages structured as stories are more effective than informational narratives at motivating pro-environmental behaviour, helping people relate emotionally as well as intellectually to environmental issues.
Indigenous cultural knowledge offers another important reference point for how long-term stewardship can be embedded in cultural practice. Indigenous Peoples manage or hold tenure rights over at least 38 million square kilometres globally. That’s more than a quarter of the world’s land surface. The area under Indigenous Peoples stewardship also intersects with around 40% of all terrestrial protected areas and ecologically intact landscapes. Additionally, studies in Australia, Brazil, and Canada found that biodiversity of birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles was highest on lands managed or co-managed by Indigenous communities, higher even than on protected areas like parks. This demonstrates how Indigenous cultural practices of land stewardship achieve measurable conservation outcomes.
Create connections to nature during childhood
To rebuild our collective relationship with nature, we need to consider the next generation. Research shows that the amount of time children spend in green spaces is closely linked to how they feel about the environment later in life. Outdoor play, especially in green spaces, is a foundation for empathy, curiosity and care for the natural world.
This makes schools a critical place for intervention. Schools are not merely educational facilities; they are environments that shape behaviour, health and development. With children spending a significant part of their lives in school, these spaces must support overall wellbeing alongside academic growth.
Integrating nature-based learning and outdoor education into the curriculum can help nurture environmental awareness from an early age. Simple design changes such as more trees in playgrounds, small gardens or vegetable plots that children can tend to make a difference. A Belgian study of 526 fifth-grade children across 37 schools found that students in schools with green playgrounds showed higher attention levels and lower attention waning, particularly in highly urbanised environments.
These principles, long central to forest school models, can be adapted for mainstream education.But schools do not exist in isolation. Urban design also matters: creating accessible green spaces close to where children live and study increases the likelihood that they will form lasting bonds with nature.
Implement nature-based solutions
Nature already provides highly effective infrastructure that can be integrated into planning and development. Nature-based solutions are actions that protect, manage and restore ecosystems while addressing social and environmental challenges. They are increasingly recognised as essential to both climate mitigation and human wellbeing.
Because these solutions address social challenges as well as environmental ones, they often invite communities to actively shape and restore their local environments. This participatory dimension helps rebuild everyday relationships with nature. Participants in ecological restoration activities consistently report health and wellbeing benefits. A systematic review of 75 studies found that community-based conservation and restoration initiatives are linked to measurable improvements in mood, stress reduction, overall wellbeing and psychological restorativeness, reinforcing the value of involving people directly in nature recovery.
The economic case for these solutions is also very compelling. Ecosystem services have been estimated at $50–150 trillion, roughly twice the size of global stock markets. Beyond their economic contribution, forests and other ecosystems play a critical role in climate regulation, biodiversity protection and community resilience. Research suggests that implementing nature-based solutions at scale could help reduce around 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Investing in these systems is therefore not only an environmental imperative, but a practical pathway to rebuilding a functional, everyday relationship between people and nature.
Design cities that bring nature back
If we want to reconnect people with nature, proximity matters. It is unrealistic to expect people to travel to nature; it must be woven into daily life. This means treating nature as an integral part of urban planning, rather than an optional addition. Cities need to move beyond a reliance on large flagship parks and instead integrate distributed “micro-nature” throughout the urban fabric, ensuring that daily access to green space is available regardless of income or location.
Streets lined with trees, parks within walking distance, and buildings designed for natural light and ventilation all contribute to healthier urban environments. Research shows that exposure to natural daylight and outdoor views is essential for mood, alertness, cognitive performance, health and productivity, while their absence can negatively affect both wellbeing and work outcomes.
In addition, access to green space supports circadian rhythms, reduces stress and improves concentration, and should be accessible to all. Incorporating “micro-nature” such as pocket gardens, living walls, rooftop vegetation and even front gardens in people’s homes. These smaller elements can make a real difference to how city dwellers experience the natural world each day.
Rebuilding our relationship with nature does not require a return to the past. It requires rethinking how we design the environments we inhabit every day. By embedding nature into cities, schools, communities and infrastructure, we can begin to restore a sense of connection that supports both human health and ecological resilience.
Recognise the link between health and nature
The health benefits of time spent in nature are among the most well-documented findings in environmental science. Regular exposure to green spaces is linked to lower blood pressure and stress levels, improved immune function, enhanced mood and increased longevity. Yet despite this strong evidence base, these insights remain only partially integrated into public health policy and healthcare systems.
Some countries are beginning to move in this direction. Starting in 2022, doctors in some parts of Canada have been able to prescribe time in nature to their patients, including a pass that gives access to some of the country’s national parks. In Japan, health practitioners have recommended forest bathing since 1982. It’s even prescribed in Japan and South Korea. These approaches acknowledge that contact with nature can play a meaningful role in preventing illness, supporting recovery and reducing long-term healthcare burdens.
The challenge now is scale. The goal is not isolated pilot programmes, but a broader shift in how health is understood and supported, recognising that human health and the health of the planet are deeply interconnected. Embedding nature-based approaches into public health systems, urban planning and prevention strategies represents an opportunity to improve population wellbeing while addressing environmental pressures at the same time.
Reconnecting for our future
Our disconnection from nature has social, cultural and environmental implications. But there is still plenty of action that we can take. Through cultural transformation, education, nature-based innovation and urban design that prioritises both people and planet, we can begin to close the gap.
We don’t want to rebuild our connection for nostalgia. It’s a necessary step toward a liveable future. For Impact One, this means supporting ventures that restore our sense of belonging in the natural world and inspire new ways of thinking, living and creating.
