Love of nature blooms in lockdown

NATURE HAS BEEN A SOURCE OF SOLACE FOR MANY DURING THE PANDEMIC

THE pandemic has changed our relationship with nature, leading to a surge in appreciation for our natural surroundings. For example, there has been a rise in outdoor exercise, particularly during the first national lockdown in spring 2020, when gyms were closed and restrictions limited other leisure activities.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the proportion of people leaving the home to exercise peaked between May 14 and 17 2020, at 71%.

This could partly be down to higher levels of homeworking, with homeworkers more likely to leave the house for exercise during the pandemic than people with a daily commute.

Fast forward to spring this year, and between April 7 and 11 2021, 28% of working adults were working exclusively from home.

More than three-quarters of them (76%) had left home for exercise in the previous seven days, compared with just over half of people who only travelled to work (52%).

Those working from home were also more likely to visit a park or local green space than those who travelled to work (45% compared with 30%).

Along with the rise in outdoor exercise, people’s interest in nature grew.

Charities such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Wildlife Trust saw spikes in web traffic in the first national lockdown.

Visits to the RSPB website increased by 69% year-on-year in March to May 2020 with 79% of those users being new to the website, and there was a tenfold increase in views of its “Build a bird box” web page.

With children’s playgrounds and similar places closed during the first lockdown, visits to parks, and time spent in them, fell in the spring.

However, Google mobility data shows that the subsequent increase seen during the summer was greater in 2020 than in previous years.

Camping holiday sales also surged year-on-year in July and August, along with reports of higher sales of outdoor products such as bicycles, leisure equipment and campervans.

There was also a substantial rise in the use of parks in rural and coastal areas during the summer, at least partly driven by domestic tourism.

For example, visits to and time spent in parks in Cornwall nearly quadrupled between the start of the year and September, with similar patterns in Devon, Norfolk and East Yorkshire.

High Peak and Ribble Valley are notable as two rural areas that saw high mobility both during lockdown and in September.

This access to nature has been vital in supporting some people’s well-being during the various national lockdowns.

There has been a decline in mental health over the last year, driven by isolation and other factors - and this is reflected by lower personal well-being scores during the pandemic.

However, there is evidence that the natural environment has helped some people to cope with negative feelings such as increased anxiety.

Around 90% of people surveyed by Natural England in May 2020 agreed that natural spaces are good for mental health and wellbeing.

More than 40% noticed that nature, wildlife, and visiting local green and natural spaces have been even more important to their wellbeing since the coronavirus restrictions began.

Green and outdoor spaces also appear to have played an important role in allowing people to see their loved ones during periods of isolation.

The percentage of people increasing their time spent connecting with family and friends outdoors grew over lockdown, from 11% in May to 22% in July.

This increase in summer persisted until January, as a new lockdown came into force, when it dropped to 19%.