In undertaking acts of restoration , we also restore our relationship with nature .
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In undertaking acts of restoration , we also restore our relationship with nature .
Stroud Preserve West Chester , PA 571 acres
Bea J . E . Rider blend the ecological significance of land — broad , sweeping , ineffable — with human values , which are personal and profound .
Each acre we have preserved is proof of this . Conservation begins with a landowner ’ s choice ; one rooted in values both universal and specific to the individual . A farmer may love her land for different reasons than the owner of a country estate , but the choice to ensure their beloved properties remain as they are is derived from the same impulse . Tim Lutz , a professor at West Chester University , has proposed a framework for understanding the differing ways in which people place value on nature . His construct brings together those of us who see the natural world through aesthetic , ecological , spiritual , or emotional lenses with those who see it for its utilitarian purposes . In all but one of the 10 categories he identifies there is a common thread : we value the role that nature plays in our lives .
The challenge that conservationists face is how to enliven this value in a broader constituency so our work might be sustained .
In her book Braiding Sweetgrass : Indigenous Wisdom , Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants , author Robin Wall Kimmerer makes the case that knowing nature and loving nature activate us to defend , protect , and celebrate . “ Action on behalf of life transforms . As we work to heal the earth , the earth heals us .”
Natural Lands is getting ready to put a more public face on a fundraising effort that we have been advancing quietly as our Campaign for Humans and Nature — a campaign underpinned by the notion that “ nature sustains humans who sustain nature .”
Practicing conservation that emphasizes the relationship between people and nature and that makes the case for land conservation as a tool for changing lives creates a broader , more-sustainable constituency for conservation . The ethos of Natural Lands can be summarized as this : The land ’ s protection is just the first step in a broader conservation process . Just as you cannot put a bell jar over a piece of land and believe that the natural resources you have protected will thrive , you cannot create a community that cares about conservation and its many benefits without first providing access to open space .
“ Caring is not abstract ,” says Kimmerer . “ The circle of ecological compassion that we feel is enlarged by direct experience of the living world , and shrunken by its lack .”
How do we as a community and as individuals connect over land and nature ? Cultural geographers , anthropologists , sociologists , and urban planners study why certain places hold special meaning to particular people or animals , resulting in a “ sense of place .”
Environmental psychologists have quantified links between exposure to natural environments in childhood and environmental preferences later in life . Learning about surrounding environments during childhood is strongly influenced by the direct experience of playing , as well as through the roles of family , culture , and community . A child ’ s experience with land forms part of that individual ’ s identity and therefore forms the baseline for how they act and what they value during adulthood .