In the UK, we are suffering a deep disconnect from nature - worse than any other European country.
That’s a huge problem.
Why?
Nature connection is a gateway to the health and wellbeing of ourselves and our wider world. In other words, if we can tackle this, a lot of other stuff improves too.
For individuals, a deeper connection with nature brings physical and mental wellbeing, especially in the crucial sense that one’s life has meaning and purpose.
For wider society, a connection to nature is linked directly with a tendency to play an active role in the community and encounter other social groups.
For biodiversity, nature connection is closely linked to conservation efforts such as habitat restoration, tree planting and nature activism.
For climate change, a deeper connection with nature is linked to a willingness to change your behaviour (flying, meat etc.) to reduce emissions.
Young people are particularly disadvantaged…
Their relationship with nature dips in the teenage years and doesn’t improve until they’re into their 30s.
When we ask young people why that is, they tell us nature has an image problem.
It’s not connecting with youth culture because of the perception that it’s exclusive. They think of the countryside, stately manors and deer: far from the daily lives of the 80% living in cities.
Cultural barriers affect young people’s ability to connect to nature.
So what’s the advertising industry got to do with it?
Advertising practitioners are architects of desire. They influence our cultural understanding of what makes a “good life”. This is the industry with the creative firepower and cultural know-how to turn around nature’s image problem, and make connecting to nature as desirable as catching the latest sneaker drop.
The Agency for Nature aims to redirect this power towards nature connection, by partnering with rising talent from top creative agencies, media platforms and insight teams, to develop breakthrough creative work that makes nature as visible as a Nike campaign.