Abstract
Biodiversity loss is a major threat to human well-being. Urbanization is a cause of habitat loss which is the most important factor contributing to loss of biodiversity, yet urban areas can play an important role in biodiversity conservation. Moreover, urban areas often lack opportunities for people to have experiences with biodiversity-rich spaces, which can reinforce humans’ alienation from nature. Nature connectedness, which refers to people’s subjective sense of interconnectedness with nature, is recognized as a psychological factor that can promote pro-environmental behavior and psychological well-being. However, little is known about the influence of nature connectedness on behaviors that support biodiversity, as well as on psychological well-being during exposure to nature in urban green spaces. This thesis investigates the role of nature connectedness in enhancing both biodiversity and psychological well-being in urban areas. Drawing on conceptual and methodological frameworks mainly from environmental psychology and urban ecology, this thesis employs a multi-method approach, which includes a literature review, online surveys, a field experiment, and a longitudinal intervention study.
A multidisciplinary body of literature was reviewed to frame the development of three main research questions. First, what is the relationship between nature connectedness and behaviors that enhance biodiversity in private gardens? An online survey revealed that nature connectedness was positively associated with indicators of biodiversity in private gardens. Furthermore, applying the theory of planned behavior, which is a widely used theoretical framework to understand the determinants of human behavior, nature connectedness was found to be a robust predictor of engagement in wildlife gardening practices. Second, how can nature connectedness promote psychological well-being in urban areas? A field experiment in urban green spaces showed that the momentary experience of nature connectedness may be an important mechanism by which exposure to nature in urban green spaces promotes positive affect. Furthermore, survey data collected from urban dwellers during the Covid-19 lockdown suggested that nature connectedness may enhance positive affect directly, over and above its association with more time spent in nature. Third, how can nature connectedness be strengthened in urban areas? The field experiment indicated that individual perceptions of wildness in urban green spaces may enhance people’s momentary experience of nature connectedness. Furthermore, while a behavioral intervention did not show significantly greater increases in nature connectedness in comparison with two control groups, nature connectedness significantly increased in all groups. Exploratory analyses provided preliminary support for the assumption that nature connectedness may be strengthened through regular reflections on one’s relationship with nature.
This thesis demonstrates that nature connectedness is a unique psychological disposition as it may enhance the well-being of both the urban environment and urban dwellers. Environmental and human well-being are fundamentally interconnected and strengthening nature connectedness may be a pathway to addressing pressing urban sustainability challenges. Changing human behavior is critical to biodiversity conservation in urban areas, and this thesis provides important insights that can inform behavior change programs. Moreover, this thesis adds a novel perspective to understanding the well-being effects of nature exposure in urban areas by suggesting that momentary experiences of nature connectedness can influence the extent to which well-being benefits are gained in urban green spaces. The findings of this thesis may inform future research on the mechanisms by which nature connectedness promotes psychological well-being and engagement in behaviors that support biodiversity. There is a need for more research on how nature connectedness can be strengthened, specifically in urban areas where residents may lack opportunities to interact with nature. Future research is warranted to investigate the influence of educational and behavioral interventions that address individual-level factors, such as perceptions of nature, on people’s nature connectedness.