THE ECOSYSTEM-HUMAN RELATIONSHIP - OUR CONNECTION WITH NATURE
- Isabel
- Nov 23, 2017
- 4 min read
Whether single, married or its complicated, there is one relationship we all have in common. Everyone of us is in an ‘ecosystem-human relationship’ and it is perhaps one to which we should be more attentive. It is evident that the last 50 odd years have seen a growing societal disconnection with nature. A trend that has clearly not benefited our natural surroundings or us for that matter. The resulting trends are pretty depressing – rapidly accelerating rates of extinctions, a warming planet and with it a higher risk of weather related disasters and infectious diseases, and to top it off increasing rates of mental health disorders and cardiovascular disease. Not to get disheartened by all of these, let us explore the amazing symbiotic relationship that we are all capable of having with nature.
A branch of ecosystem services known as cultural services refer to the benefits to our mental and physical well-being that the natural environment can provides us with. In other words, the things nature gives us that aren’t as tangible as say food, water and medicine. They come in many forms: spiritual inspiration, aesthetic pleasure, cultural identity, recreation and clear improvements to mental health to name a few. So is our connection to nature an innate magnetism engrained in our DNA from the thousands of years that our ancestors lived amongst it? Whether you believe this or not it is difficult to dispute the huge influence that the natural world has had on mankind over the years. It only takes a scratch at the surface of the abundance of music, art and literary works dedicated to it to understand that.
INSPIRATION
Nature has been the source of inspiration for musicians for as long as we know, in fact the oldest known song, a Hurrian hymn from 1400 BC discovered in the 1950s is a melody praising the Hurrian goddess of orchards. Nature’s bounty inspiring music before clef notes were even invented and you can listen to the reconstructed version here. Since then in much more recent years wildlife has been the subject to many of the most loved songs from Vaughn Williams’s ‘The Lark Ascending’ voted Britain’s favourite piece of classical music, to the classic ‘Blackbird’ by the Beatles. It really begs the question what would music sound like today if we hadn’t had the input from that ecosystem-human relationship? Along with these are countless other examples as well as a long list of literature, poetry and art devoted to the natural world. The abundance of such demonstrate just how priceless the value of biodiversity is to our everyday lives, a thought presented no better than by Thomas Hardy in his poem ‘Shelley’s Skylark’ where he remarks on the power of one little bird to inspire so many. Read it here.
HEALTH
Is biodiversity the tonic that we all need? The positive health benefits of immersing oneself in nature are becoming more and more apparent in recent years, adding to many motivations to regain and sustain global biodiversity. Vegetation coverage and a rich array of different species are said to be key to improving our general well being and rebuilding that connection to our natural surroundings. The list of stress related health problems is long and includes conditions such as heart disease, obesity and Alzheimer’s. Stress levels in our society are steadily rising with 2015 seeing at least 17 million work absences due to stress related health problems and costing the economy approximately £2.5 billion - not to mention the huge strain such conditions are putting on the national health system.
Spending time outdoors in a natural environment has proven to lower blood pressure and spark other parasympathetic nervous responses reducing stress. The Japanese have been applying these principles since the 1980s when they included ‘forest bathing’ in their national health programme. Forest bathing is simply the act of relaxing in a woodland environment and reaping the accompanied stress relief. It is a trend that has been popularised in the UK this year with some people willing to pay a small fortune for a relaxing forest bathing retreat. To learn more about forest bathing and its numerous benefits you can click here. Regular access to green spaces do more than just reduce stress however; it is said to help reduce childhood ADHD, dementia, antisocial behaviour as well as improving productivity and quality of sleep.
With a growing population and consequent housing crisis, living situations are likely to become more densely populated making access to nature seemingly more difficult. But this is where we need to get creative! Nature reserves and national parks are great for both nature and to take a Sunday stroll in to lap up those natural healing qualities. However our ecosystem-human relationship can also be well nourished in more urban settings. There is so much promise and innovation out there in sustainable design and eco-architecture that can pave the way for intelligent homes and workplaces where man and wildlife can happily coexist
The photograph at the top of this post is one I took the other day in Brighton. A large number of people gathered on the beach to watch the beautiful starlings murmurate at sunset. I chose it because in the face of reports of our apparent disconnection to nature it provides a little comfort. Whether it’s a collared dove that crosses your path on your way to work, an urban fox encounter on the way back from the pub or a dramatic display such as above, it only takes a minute to look up and connect. Our connection to nature is not lost, just perhaps in need of some TLC.
If you want to improve your ecosystem-human relationship and feel like you need to harness some of natures healing benefits in your home take a look at biophilic design. And if you want to hear about how we can incorporate nature in our city environments listen to Architecture, Nature and Wildlife in Cities – from the Bristol Festival of Ideas.
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