A Scoping Review of Nature, Land, and Environmental Connectedness and Relatedness

Abstract

The importance of nature and the environment in relation to human health is coalescing, as demonstrated by the increased research that attempts to measure nature connectedness and relatedness. These findings align with constructs of cultural connectedness that assess for land connectedness as part of Indigenous ways of knowing. From an Indigenous worldview, relationships with the environment are critical to wellbeing. The purpose of this comprehensive systematic scoping literature review was two-fold: (1) identify and summarize existing measures of land, nature, and/or environmental connectedness, relatedness, and attitudes and (2) evaluate the psychometric properties of these scales. In total, 1438 articles were retrieved from select databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL (EBSCO), and Academic Search Complete (EBSCO). The final searches and application of the inclusion/exclusion criteria resulted in 57 unique articles and 38 scales categorized as connectedness and relatedness scales (n = 9 scales), attitudinal and values-based scales (n = 16 scales), cultural and spiritually based scales (n = 9 scales), and paradigm-based scales (n = 4 scales) (articles could be placed in multiple categories). Psychometric properties and general outcomes associated with nature-related scales are reported, with implications for future education, research, practice, and policy.

Time Spent in Nature Is Associated with Increased Pro-Environmental Attitudes and Behaviors

“…Furthermore, the terminology used to discuss humans’ relationship to nature has an Anglo-centric focus, e.g., stronger individualistic vis à vis community or topophilic identity, likely reflecting many researchers’ origins. One strong exception considers cultural connectedness to the land and environment through the research lens of Indigenous values [ 97 ].…”

Improving Communication of Public Health Bachelor's Degree Programs Through Visual Curriculum Mapping

“…A second curriculum map is in development to replace the existing map communicating the overall Bachelor degree program curriculum with a more culturally appropriate, and comprehensive, visual representation applying an analogy of the degree program with the Native Hawaiian ahupua‘a system of land division and water movement ( 41 , 42 ). This more comprehensive curriculum map would incorporate gamification strategies and require students to collect required coursework or other milestones as represented by foods or natural resources as they journey mauka (from the mountain) to makai (to the ocean) on a quest to embark on a voyage toward their future launching at the time of graduation.…”

Wellbeing for all: Indigenizing theories and measures of wellbeing for equitable sustainability

“…In 2012, the U.N. established rights for Mother Earth (Papahānaumoku in Hawaiian cosmologies), emphasizing the importance of living in balance with nature (United Nations, 2012 ). These rights were re-endorsed in 2014, when the UN recognized publicly building “governance structures in which nature is treated in partnership with humankind” (United Nations, 2014 ) as imperative (for a review of measures of nature connectedness see Keaulana et al, 2021 ). Harmony and balance across levels of wellbeing are of increasing interest to the wellbeing research community, as evidenced in the World Happiness Report (Helliwell et al, 2022 ).…”