Below you’ll find a summary of books, key guidance and scales.
The Blackbird’s Song & Other Wonders of Nature
Month by month, The Blackbird’s Song introduces nature connection science and stories that provide the foundations for activities, from simply breathing and noticing to travelling in time. Each month ends with an activity for nature, to give back. The Blackbird’s Song is not a pill to pop, it’s a guide to developing a reciprocal relationship within nature.
Reconnection: Fixing Our Broken Relationship with Nature
Reconnection: Fixing our Broken Relationship with Nature explores our hidden links with nature through the science of nature connectedness, setting out a way to revivify the relationship across society. Here is a route to a meaningful life that unites both human and nature’s wellbeing for a truly sustainable future. What’s more, everybody has a role to play. From business leaders to conservationists, teachers to medics, from drivers to walkers, we can all reduce the damage we do and find new ways to bring nature into our lives. This timely book considers the problems scientifically, then offers simple, practical, positive steps for how we can all work towards a better world.
The Nature Connection Handbook
The Nature Connection Handbook: A Guide for Increasing People’s Connection with Nature is free and you can download it here.
The Nature Connected Organisations Handbook
The handbook offers a brief outline of the science of nature connection, explains why nature connection is important for organisations, and offers a framework and tips for bringing nature connection into an organisation.
The Nature Connected Organisations Handbook
The Nature Connected Communities Handbook, a guide for inviting communities to notice, engage and relate with the more-than-human world, for closer community-nature relationships.
Nature Connection in Schools
Nature Connection in Schools, a comprehensive and practical resource designed to help educators foster meaningful relationships between children and the natural world.
The Silk Mill Vision
The Nature Connection in Policy and Practice event was held at Derby’s Silk Mill – the site of the world’s first factory, a starting point of an industrial relationship with nature based on use and control, so a great place to start to forge a new relationship with nature. The event set out to inform, inspire and imagine a vision of a nature connected society. The Silk Mill Vision report is available here.
A New Relationship with Nature Policy Briefing
Our new policy briefing introduces the concept of nature connectedness as a catalyst for change, and how fostering a deeper relationship with nature that goes beyond simply spending time outdoors. It then offers ideas that can help foster nature connection at societal scale. You can access your own copy of the briefing here.
A New Relationship with Nature: what it means and what we can do
The climate crisis and wildlife emergency show that the relationship between people and the rest of nature is failing. This briefing draws together key findings from our research into human-nature connections. The purpose is to inform people of the evidence and what it means in practice. Download as a PDF.
Pathways to Nature Connectedness
Our research into nature connectedness has been named by Universities UK as one of the UK’s 100 best breakthroughs for its impact. Central to that impact has been our pathways to nature connectedness. The pathways to nature connectedness were published in the journal Plos One. The paper outlines the types of activities that lead to nature connectedness – which leads to mental well-being and pro-nature behaviours. The pathways have informed the work of the Wildlife Trusts, the National Trust and others. The pathways guidance available as postcard and video.
Nature Connection Index (NCI)
Our paper in the journal Sustainability reports on a new population measure of nature connectedness – the Nature Connection Index (NCI) item selection considered people’s affective and experiential relationship with nature. A framework to inform the item themes within the NCI was provided by the pathways to nature connectedness: emotion, beauty, contact, meaning and compassion. A weighted points index was developed so that the index ran from zero to a maximum score of 100 in line with expectations for a national indicator approach. This improved dispersion, producing more even percentiles and differentiation in the middle range. A spreadsheet that converts raw scores to the weighted index is available via the link below – full PDF version with scoring spreadsheet – free to use, just reference the paper should you publish results from it.
A Scale to Measure Pro-Nature Conservation Behaviours – ProCoBS
The first scale to focus on nature conservation behaviours (broadly habitat creation) rather than pro-environmental behaviours (resource use). The Pro-Nature Conservation Behaviour Scale was published open access in the journal Sustainability. You can download ProCoBS here – free to use, just reference the paper should you publish results from it.
Nature and Me
During our work with the National Trust we’ve been thinking about, and actively building a new relationship with nature. A closer connection with nature that can boost the wellbeing of people and the wellbeing of the natural world we inhabit. We want to share what we’ve learnt far and wide. So we’ve launched Nature and Me. A short guide with suggestions on how to get close to nature and the benefits this can bring. Nature and Me has two parts. Understanding the human-nature relationship and a guide to practically improving that relationship. It is based on research by the University of Derby’s Nature Connectedness Research Group and experiences at National Trust places. Please download a copy here.
Finding Nature 