Investigators report a «weak correlation» between environmental organisation membership and nature-connectedness in Europe and globally.
Croatia and Bulgaria stand as the sole EU countries ranking among the top 10 worldwide for the strongest connection with nature, according to a groundbreaking global analysis of human relationships with the natural environment.
In contrast, Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands rank among the least connected EU nations to nature, placing them near the bottom of this global evaluation.
The peer-reviewed article published in the environmental journal Ambio examined data from over 56,000 participants across 61 countries, assessing how social, economic, geographic, and cultural factors influence attitudes toward nature.
Nature connectedness, as defined by the study, is a recognized concept illustrating the cognitive and emotional bond an individual has with the natural world.
Individuals demonstrating higher nature connectedness tend to report enhanced well-being and show a greater propensity for environmentally conscious behaviors.
Additionally, a connection exists between individuals with elevated spirituality and stronger ties to nature.
«The main results indicate that socioeconomic status, biodiversity levels, spirituality, and perceptions of technology correlate with nature connectedness,» the authors noted.
Research suggests fostering stronger nature connectedness could be an effective approach to driving the systemic changes needed to tackle environmental crises.
Conversely, low nature connectedness ranks alongside inequality and the emphasis on personal material benefits as one of the primary root causes behind biodiversity decline.
Factors such as urbanization rate, average income, and internet usage also appear linked to reduced nature connection.
«Unexpectedly, there was minimal association between nature connectedness and being a member of environmental organisations,» the study highlighted.
What is the condition of EU forests?
Forests and wooded areas cover roughly 40% of Europe’s landmass, while over 26% of EU territory is officially protected, according to the European Environment Agency.
Nonetheless, biodiversity within forests is diminishing across the continent, with forestry operations identified as a key contributing factor.
In October, European lawmakers dismissed a proposed regulation aimed at monitoring and reporting on «forest health,» which would have required EU member states to gather forestry data and bolster preparedness against wildfires throughout the bloc.
This legislation, presented by the European Commission in 2023, sought to guarantee the availability of timely, precise, and harmonized forest data across all member states, tracking forest conditions and landscape changes—such as rising pressures, fires, pests, or droughts—with the ultimate aim of enhancing forest resilience to transboundary threats like wildfires.