|
|
 |
Shift Away from Nature-Based Recreation
The Nature Conservancy reports that across the U.S. and in other developed nations, people are spending far less time outdoors than ever before. The study, published in the February 2008 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the most comprehensive look yet at nature recreation, and according to researchers, is a ''grim confirmation'' of a long-held theory that people, especially children, are spending less time in the great outdoors.
The research builds on earlier studies that showed visits to American national parks were declining, and it illustrates that the problem isn't limited to parks -- and isn't just found in the U.S.
''As a scientist and a conservationist, I find these results almost terrifying,'' said Oliver Pergams, assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago and lead author of the study. ''We are seeing a fundamental shift away from people's interest in nature, not just in the U.S. but in other countries, too. The consequences of this could be deep and far-ranging for health, for human well-being, and for the future of the planet.''
Pergams and fellow researcher Patricia Zaradic, a fellow with the Environmental Leadership Program, have been studying this issue for several years. In 2006, they released a study showing that per capita visits to national parks have been declining for the past two decades.
Zaradic adds that this decline is critical not only for this generation, but for future generations as well. ''For the last 20 years we've raised children with less and less interest in nature recreation -- we are likely to see the repercussions in conservation and human health for decades to come.''
This new study includes data on camping, backpacking, fishing, hiking, hunting, visits to national and state parks and forests.
Read more at the resource link below.
Resource: http://www.nature.org/pressroom/press/press3334.html
|
Conservation: An Investment That Pays from Trust for Public Land is intended to help agency personnel and community conservationists make the case for conservation as a long-term economic investment.
Based on the National Building Museum's exhibit, Green Community is a collection of thought-provoking essays that illuminate the connections among personal health, community health, and our planet's health.
|
|
 |
E-mail
to a Friend
View
Printer-friendly page 
