Gardening Can Relieve Human Stress and Boost Nature Connection During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Egerer, Monika; Lin, Brenda; Kingsley, Jonathan; Marsh, Pauline; Diekmann, Lucy; Ossola, Alessandro

doi:10.2139/ssrn.3946403

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Among other initiatives, urban gardens appeared to have become a lifeline and helped some people cope with food hardships during the pandemic (see, e.g., Cattivelli, 2022 , Cattivelli, 2022b , Cattivelli, 2022c ; Egerer et al, 2022 ). Although they were initially closed, these places reopened in mid-April 2020.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social innovation and food provisioning initiatives to reduce food insecurity during the Covid-19 pandemic

Cattivelli

2022

Cities

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social innovation and food provisioning initiatives to reduce food insecurity during the Covid-19 pandemic

Cattivelli

2022

Cities

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“…Engaging in regular physical activity is beneficial for physical health and improves mental well-being (Warburton et al, 2006). And physical activity that is outdoors and embedded in nature alleviates stress and boosts quality of life during challenging periods of living (Egerer et al, 2022). Zoos can capitalize on such physical activity by outreach events and programs that can provide multiple opportunities for physical exercise, the broadening of social connections and chance to do or learn new things.…”

Section: Be Activementioning

confidence: 99%

Five ways to wellbeing at the zoo: improving human health and connection to nature

Rose,

Riley

2023

Front. Psychol.

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Good mental and physical health go hand-in-hand when identifying factors that lead people to experience a better overall quality of life. A growing disconnect to the natural world is worsening the mental health of individuals in many societies. Numerous scientific publications have evidenced that being in nature and access to green and blue spaces positively impact upon humans’ physical and mental health. For many people, particularly those living in more urbanized areas, managed natural spaces and borrowed landscapes, such as those found in public parks, wildlife reserves and zoological gardens give the only opportunities for wider engagement with nature. Many zoos are designated green spaces and therefore human visitors can engage with native fauna and flora as well as exotic wild animals. This article reviews the UK Government’s “The Five Ways to Wellbeing” concept, applied to zoos and aquariums and thus suggests how zoos and aquariums can use this framework to promote positive nature-connectivity experiences for their visitors and promote good wellbeing. The Five Ways to Wellbeing are Connect, Be active, Take notice, Keep learning, and Give. We illustrate how zoos and aquariums could model their approaches to educational and engagement roles, as well as design initiatives to reach out to local communities via the Five Ways to Wellbeing concept. We show that many of the positive programs and works conducted by zoos and aquariums lend themselves to further engagement with the Five Ways to Wellbeing structure. By taking such a structured approach in the design, implementation and evaluation of their activities, zoos can expand their abilities in connecting humans with nature and further add value to their living collections of animals and plants. By including Wellbeing as a defined aim of the modern zoo, it will be clear to all of those involved in their work, visitors, workers, stakeholders, that zoos are working to promote, protect and preserve positive wellbeing outputs for humans and animals alike.

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“…Several studies have noted a “global garden boom” during the COVID-19 pandemic, triggered in part by people seeking contact with nature and community ( Atkinson 2020 ; Lin et al, 2021 ). Other research has suggested people turned to gardening during the pandemic to address food security, enhance social connections, reduce stress, build resilience and foster food sovereignty ( Donati and Rose 2020 ; Lal 2020 ; Loker and Francis 2020 ; Mejia et al, 2020 ; Pulighe and Lupia 2020 ; Langemeyer et al, 2021 ; Egerer et al, 2022 ). Theodorou et al (2021) found that gardening during the COVID-19 pandemic lowered psychological distress in gardeners from multiple countries in the Global North.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experiences of gardening during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic

Kingsley

Diekmann²,

Egerer

et al. 2022

Health & Place

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Gardening Can Relieve Human Stress and Boost Nature Connection During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Cited by 5 publications

References 51 publications

Social innovation and food provisioning initiatives to reduce food insecurity during the Covid-19 pandemic

Social innovation and food provisioning initiatives to reduce food insecurity during the Covid-19 pandemic

Five ways to wellbeing at the zoo: improving human health and connection to nature

Experiences of gardening during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic

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