Reconnection: Fixing our Broken Relationship with Nature

How did our relationship with nature become broken, why does it matter and how can we fix it? From a past in which we were embedded in the natural world, revolutions in farming, science and industry have seen the human bond with nature eroded with the promise of prosperity offering happiness and meaning in life. This mindset may have delivered comfortable living for many, but there is growing recognition that the root cause of wildlife loss and the warming climate is people’s disconnection from nature, which is also an important factor in our mental health. Yet solutions focus on technical fixes to treat the symptoms of that damaged relationship, such as reducing carbon emissions and increasing habitat. What we urgently need is a whole new way of thinking. Reconnection explores our hidden links with nature through the science of nature connectedness, setting out a way to revivify the relationship across society. Here is a route to a meaningful life that unites both human and nature’s wellbeing for a truly sustainable future. What's more, everybody has a role to play. From business leaders to conservationists, teachers to medics, from drivers to walkers, we can all reduce the damage we do and find new ways to bring nature into our lives. This timely book considers the problems scientifically, then offers simple, practical, positive steps for how we can all work towards a better world.

Table of Contents:
Preface Part I – The need for reconnection with nature 1. A Broken Relationship with Nature 2. The Great Theft 3. The Technological Ape 4. Hidden Connections with Nature 5. Nature Connectedness Part II – Benefits of reconnection with nature 6. Good for You: Wellbeing Benefits of Reconnection 7. How Does Reconnection Bring Wellbeing? 8. Good for Nature: Environmental Benefits of Reconnection 9. One Health Part III – Creating a new relationship with nature 10. The Good Things in Nature 11. Pathways to Reconnection 12. Scaling Up: Policies for Connection 13. Tools for Change 14. Creating a Nature-Connected Society 15. Designing a Connected Future Acknowledgements Notes Index

About the Author :
Miles Richardson is Professor of Human Factors and Nature Connectedness at the University of Derby, where he founded the Nature Connectedness Research Group. He has pioneered widely adopted and award-winning approaches to improving the human–nature relationship. Author of dozens of scientific papers, he advises nationally and internationally on uniting human and nature’s wellbeing. 

Review :
highly stimulating... The author has impressive credentials and a great command of the social science literature (much of which he has been involved in writing). I was grateful that he brought in his own love for, and experience of, nature at frequent intervals because it showed that this wasn’t just an academic exercise – and it clearly isn’t. Richardson's manifesto for re-establishing our connection to nature is heartfelt and never dry. And it couldn't be more needed than now. This well-written book... emphasizes the importance of the psychological connection to nature and its role in promoting overall well-being. I found it particularly impressive how Richardson highlights the distinction between ‘exposure’ and ‘connection’ to nature, raising the possibility that the latter holds the greater influence. Richardson makes his meticulously researched case in prose that a teenager would understand. He offers redress for the causes of our double ecological crisis rather than just describing the symptoms. My stand-out environmental book of the year. This was a book I was keen to read, and it did not disappoint.