Postdigital Nature Connection
Jack Reed
Abstract
The interrelations between humans and nature have earned significant scholarly focus in recent years (Ives et al. 2017 ; Barrable and Booth 2020 ; Chawla 2020 ), with growing recognition that contemporary societies are increasingly disconnected from the ecosystems which sustain them (Beery et al. 2023 ). This disconnection is often framed within the context of escalating climate and ecological crises (Zylstra et al. 2014 ), declining public health and wellbeing (Capaldi et al. 2015 ), and diminished contact with natural environments (Lumber et al. 2017 ). Nature connection is inherently multifaceted, extending across various dimensions, and is situated at the intersection of the natural and social sciences. Its transdisciplinarity underscores the complexity of human-nature relationships, requiring attention from ecology, psychology, sociology, and other fields. This complexity has meant there is no single accepted definition of nature connection (Beery and Wolf-Watz 2014 ). For the benefit of clarity, nature connection is defined here as the emotional, cognitive, and experiential bond individuals form with the natural environment. These bonds shape a sense of belonging in nature, with implications for wellbeing and pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours.