Visiting nature is positively associated with physical and mental well-being. The role of nature became more pronounced during the coronavirus outbreak in the spring of 2020. Countries all over the world implemented confinement measures to reduce the transmission of the virus. These included but were not limited to the cancelation of public events, schools, and non-essential businesses and the prohibition of non-essential travels. However, going outside to exercise was recommended by the Belgian government. During this period, we conducted an online survey to determine if people visit nature more frequently than before and to identify the factors that contribute to this. The results are based on data from 11,352 participants in Flanders, Belgium. With the use of a bivariate and multiple regression analysis, results indicate that people visit nature more frequently than before and that nature helped to maintain social relationships during the coronavirus period. Gardens were reported to be the most popular place, followed by parks. More than half of the people experienced nature in a more positive way, and the belief that nature visits are important for general health increased. In addition, we found a positive association between nature visits and home satisfaction, as well as a positive association with subjective mental and physical health. Lastly, we identified several demographic factors contributing to the frequency of nature visits such as age, gender, and socioeconomic status. Our findings indicate the importance of nature visits for general well-being and highlight the need for nearby green infrastructure.

Our aim in this chapter is to present an overview of the importance of nature connection for adolescents (12-18 year olds). This target group is a well-considered choice since the interest in nature dips in adolescence (e.g., Olsson & Gericke, 2016;Krettenauer et al., 2020). In this chapter, we bring together key insights from different disciplines on the relevance of nature connection in adolescence, in particular from the health-and education sciences perspectives. First, we will clarify the terminology used in this chapter: we will define our use on the concepts 'nature connection' and 'outdoor environmental education' and establish the association between them. What follows is an overview of the importance of nature for adolescents and the prominent role education can play in fostering nature connection in this target group. We will also show that despite the many advantages, several thresholds and levers can be identified in the literature for working on nature connection with adolescents, especially during secondary education. Subsequently, we zoom in on the practical experiences and the obstacles that we identify at