The research highlights how human interaction with outdoor environmental spaces can shape people’s identities; provide experiences that promote emotional, mental and physical wellbeing and equip people with a range of skills and capabilities.
It found that the provision of environmental spaces and people’s access to them varies across the UK and it identified the role domestic gardens play in providing valued environmental space, particularly in heavily urbanised areas.
Professor Andrew Church, the university’s Director of Research and Development for Social Sciences and one of the lead researchers on the project, said: “This is a major piece of environmental research and confirms the 91¶¶Òõ's reputation for cutting-edge social science research that has an impact on the key problems facing the world. We have benefitted immensely from working with government and large teams of academics from other universities on this project.”
Professor Church is one of a team of around 50 academics who have produced interdisciplinary research known as the UK National Ecosystem Follow-on (NEAFO) project. Professor Church was joined on the research team by Professor Neil Ravenscroft, the 91¶¶Òõ’s Professor of Land Economy.
He was invited to speak at the launch alongside Lord de Mauley, Minister for Environment and Science, at a one-day conference where Professor Church and his colleagues presented their key findings.
The aim of the NEAFO project is to build on the findings of the 2011 UK National Ecosystem Assessment (NEA) which assessed the importance of the natural environment to human well-being and economic prosperity.
Professor Church was the lead researcher on one of 10 work packages that make up the NEAFO and was chosen to make a presentation on behalf of four of the packages at the launch event.
The new report provides information and advice to policy makers about how best to conserve the UK’s ecosystems.
Find out more about on the university’s social sciences research.