One Planet News: Losing our connection to nature is like losing a best friend

Go Wild With Annette

By Annette J Beveridge

Can we really call nature a friend? I think so. Here’s why.

Nature has a soothing effect on us. Spending time by a river or in a woodland when feeling sad is like being comforted by a good friend. It provides an opportunity to heal.

Hugging a tree is like being connected to the heart of the natural world and standing beneath the spreading branches of an oak tree gives you a new perspective on life and your own little problems.

Nature doesn't tell you that you are wrong. It doesn't belittle you and it is there for you.

My interest in nature began when I was very young. My brother, who was 8 years older than me was fascinated by ants. So being inspired by that passion, I began to learn about them too and we divided the garden into two parts. He studied the black ants in the back garden and I found a red ants nest in the front garden.

It felt really natural to lie down almost eye to eye with ants and observe them as if I were in their world. I began to think differently about soil and what lies beneath it. I loved the feel of the soil between my fingertips.

I was the girl who stopped to rescue worms from the pavements on my way to school, placing them in the grass so they could burrow back to safety. I spent a lot of time learning about nature and with my childhood being less than harmonious, I think that interest became a source of solace.

Being in love with nature was natural and why wouldn't it be? We are a part of nature. Just another organism on this planet so we should relate to other organisms big and small. The natural world is complex with every aspect playing a vital role in the way that nature works. Take away one component and nature begins to fail.

I think of nature as being a complex jigsaw puzzle. Each intricate part is vital to the overall picture and how frustrating it is when a piece of the puzzle is missing.

We have to stop thinking of nature as ‘IT’ rather than as a vital part of our way of life. More, we need to reconnect with birds, and animals and make this a part of our daily lives.

I can tell you that being a friend to nature is enriching. The joy at learning more about and understanding how and why species behave and thrive is fascinating.

You don't need to be a scientist to study nature. You don't need to be qualified to indulge in a little citizen science. Nature is there, it is on the doorstep. Step outside and take a deep breath and just absorb the sights and sounds.

Yesterday, I watched a wren foraging in the grassy verge in my garden. I could see its head bobbing up and down as it searched for food. I had never seen a wren in the grass before, only in the Sambuca in my garden, in scrub and on branches that had rotted away and fallen, but it was compulsive viewing.

When we decide to be friendly to the natural world, we naturally become a defender. We become an advocate for learning more and understanding why and how different species exist. That new knowledge inspires us, and connects us more deeply to the natural world.

If we lose our connection to nature, we lose something so instrumental to our own health and wellbeing, that it is harmful for us. We don't thrive in sterile concrete worlds. We need nature to inspire us and to help us heal. Seeing the wildlife around us as an intrinsic part of daily life means we relish it more. Doing without is not an option.