Effects of Being in Contact with Nature on Individuals' Nature Connectedness: Excursion on the “Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar” Biosphere Reserve

Abstract

Nature connectedness is often studied in relation to the interaction and contact with nature of individuals. In this study, we evaluate volunteers (n = 24) who conformed a group of excursionists in the Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve (PGDABR), who are residents of Hermosillo (ages 18–62), in northwestern Mexico. The excursion consisted of a 2-day weekend visit to the Sonoran Desert region in which participants hiked, watched native species, stargazed, and enjoyed the crater's scenery, among other activities in nature. Volunteers were evaluated with an adapted 32-item questionnaire before and after their excursion. The instrument was comprising the Nature Connectedness (NC), Nature Relatedness, and Love and Care for Nature scales (LCNSs) to measure the sample level of feeling oneself as a part of nature and within it. This study aims to estimate if regions such as the Sonoran Desert, which presents extreme climate conditions, contribute to an enhancement on individuals' NC level. Findings indicate that participants displayed significant increasement levels on the NC and LCNSs after excursioning in PGDABR.

Introduction

Many authors refer to the existence of an individual connection toward nature. Environmental and human welfare frequently benefit from this link.

Indeed, the human–nature relationship is studied with the aim to evaluate correlations between human well-being, contact with nature, psychological health, affective and emotional criteria, among others.

In this study, we evaluated contact with nature and its effects on the connectedness to nature construct. Empirical inquiries about contact with nature, other than simulated visual or virtual representations, commonly occur on green settings such as forests, rainforests, or parks. Pursuit of the assessment regarding the effects of being surrounded by endemic nature and local geographic attributes lead us to sustain a study situated on the Sonoran Desert, which presents multiple differences regarding climate conditions from previous related studies. Accordingly, we examined volunteers' level of connectedness to nature before and after being exposed to an overnight experience in the wilderness as part of a scheduled excursion to Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve (PGDABR).

Therefore, the aim of this study is to estimate the level of individuals' connectedness to nature after doing an excursion on the PGDABR Area. Our hypothesis states that participants, after being in contact with this kind of nature, exhibit a considerable increase on their connectedness to nature standards.

Approaching the concept of nature connectedness

Several types of environmental concerns or situations motivate people to act in a determinate manner regarding care of the Earth and nature. These concerns are caused by the individual beliefs with respect to how big a part of the natural world they consider themselves to be, as stated by Schultz, Shriver, Tabanico, and Khazian (2004). Partly, an individual is asserted to estimate itself as an element separate from nature by considering that people are outside the laws of nature, and determining oneself as superior, above animals and plants. In contrast, there is another type of individual that perceives itself as a part of nature, just like all living being, and who asserts that all plants, animals, and humans have the same rights.

Nature connectedness (NC) represents an individual's unity with the natural world, and this concept is usually measured by the Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS), a scale designed by Mayer and Frantz (2004) to measure affective and experiential connections to nature by building on the ideas of Leopold (1949) who argued that people need to feel part of a natural world if they want to correctly conduct environmental problems or, in a way, feeling related to nature. The CNS is later classified by Perrin and Benassi (2009) as a weak instrument, since they claim that it evaluates certain attitudes and beliefs of individuals about nature.

The concept of NC refers to the emotional bond between human and nature, the level people perceive themselves to be a part of the natural environment, and the subjective sense when relating with it (Lim, Dillon, & Chew, 2020; Pritchard, Richardson, Sheffield, & McEwan, 2020; Restall & Conrad, 2015; Schultz, 2001). Clayton (2003) emphasizes the importance of understanding this construct as an environmental identity concept that considers an individual's own perception to nature, both within and toward it (Lim et al., 2020). Thus, it is argued that contact with nature plays an important role in the development of NC (Nisbet, Zelenski, & Murphy, 2009) by stating that interaction with nature, meaning being outdoors or performing activities while being in contact with the natural environment, satisfactorily increases the level of NC and of feeling part of the natural world (Barrable & Booth, 2020; Pirchio, Passiatore, Panno, Cipparone, & Carrus, 2021).

Different concepts, as conceptualized by several authors, are reintroduced to explain NC, such as the “inclusion of nature in self” (Schultz, 2001), “environmental identity” (Clayton, 2003), “connectedness to nature” (Mayer & Frantz, 2004), “nature relatedness” (Nisbet et al., 2009), and “love and care for nature” (Pasca, Aragonés, & Coello, 2017; Perkins, 2010).

The concept of Nature Relatedness (NR) is complementary to NC for the reason that it refers to the individual's levels of connectivity to the natural world, since it resembles an ecological self with its own constructive notion that includes the natural world (Nisbet et al., 2009).

Furthermore, as a complementing scale for NC, the Love and Care for Nature (LCN) concept was developed by Perkins (2010), defined as the deep love and importance given to nature, as well as the intrinsic recognition for the value of the natural world and the responsibility to protect it. This concept also considers several aspects such as feelings of awe, interest, and emotional and spiritual closeness to nature.

NC and Contact with Nature

Contact with nature happens when an individual is exposed, to a certain degree, to a natural component or environment while performing activities or in different situations. These situations may include working in an office with a view to a park, reading a book while sitting by the sea, running in the forest, watching photographs of the African savanna, doing virtual indoor mountain cycling, or even interacting in a natural scenario by using a virtual-reality simulating device. These activities bear multidimensional individual benefits, which in turn contribute to increasing the degree of NC, sense of belonging, and personal integrity. To understand such an effect, contact with nature is closely related with the level of NC (Mayer & Frantz, 2004; Olivos, Aragonés, & Amérigo, 2011).

Direct contact with nature has frequently been studied in fields such as psychology and environmental education to explain how and why benefits arise from an affective connection with the natural environment (Collado & Corraliza, 2016; Duerden & Witt, 2010; Garza, Tapia-Fonllem, Fraijo-Sing, Borbón-Mendívil, & Poggio, 2021; Hinds & Sparks, 2008; Millar & Millar, 1996; Müller, Kals, & Pansa, 2009). As an example, we mention the work of Hinds and Sparks (2008), who performed research on a sample of 199 college-level students to measure the influence of the participants' affective connection to the natural environment and evaluate their commitment to care for the planet in the future. Results showed that affective connection is a significant predictor of intention to interact with the natural environment.

Olivos and Aragonés (2014) conducted a survey on 408 participants in an attempt to study the NC of individuals both in natural and built environments. Results exhibited a notable difference on NC after spending time in a completely natural environment.

The volunteers who took part in the study and were evaluated had been in direct contact with nature and engaged in different activities as part of their experience in the desert. One of these experiences is birdwatching, where they observed regional species; this activity produces benefits on a personal well-being level as well as making people feel closer to nature and interact with it (Cox & Gaston, 2016). On the same vein, dark nature is an activity where people relish in natural environments at nighttime. This concept was created by Bell, Irvine, Wilson, and Warber (2014), who explored the benefits obtained after performing outdoor activities during the night, such as stargazing, nocturnal fishing, camping, and wildlife sightings.

Natural environment: the PGDABR

The PGDABR is a protected natural area located in the naturally diverse Sonoran Desert in northwestern Mexico. From space, it is one of the most visible land formations in North America: it contains 400 rises and volcanic cones, >500 square kilometers of active dunes, and a shield volcano with lava flow, cineritic cones, and impressive craters. It is located in the most arid zone in the country, one of the most extreme zones in North America with average yearly precipitation levels ranging from 50 to 120 mm (Ezcurra & Rodrigues, 1986) as well as temperatures as high as 50°C (annual average temperature of 39°C/103°F, aridity index <0.05, classified as hyperarid in the World Atlas of Desertification, European Commission Joint Research Center, 2019) making it one of the hottest places on the planet.

It is habitat to 540 plant species, 40 mammal species, 200 bird species, and 40 reptile species, which include 4 presently endangered species: the desert tortoise, the Gila monster, the peninsular desert bighorn sheep, and the Sonoran pronghorn. In addition, this place is considered a Human Heritage site by UNESCO since 2013. In this natural environment, Murrieta (2000), of the Arizona State University, conducted research to understand the reason why visitors come to this place. Results showed that the reserve is mostly visited by desert panorama aficionados looking for lonely bleak places with the objective of attaining serenity, being surrounded by the flora, birdwatching, going on excursions, stargazing, and others.

Methods

This study is performed under a quantitative approach, which evaluates participants with the use of an adapted questionnaire that allows for a comparison of the degree of NC before and after going on an excursion. This is a quasi-experimental longitudinal study that measures variables in two separate moments by manipulating participants and comparing results before and after doing so.

Participants

The sample consisted of 24 excursionists (adults aged 18–60 years, M = 31.7) on the PGDABR as part of a preorganized tour. Sample included 12 female residents and 12 male residents of Hermosillo, Sonora on northwestern Mexico (Hispanic ethnicity) and with diverse professional and study backgrounds (19 of them were university graduates).

Participants previously enrolled on the tour to the PGDABR under their own personal interests and by contacting a certified travel agency dedicated to organize tours and activities in natural areas of the region. The group of excursionists attended the tour on small groups of friends, couples and families, each of them paying for their own itinerary. All participants were invited to be part of the study and voluntarily answered the questionnaires that were applied during the excursion.

Instrument

An instrument was adapted according to the activity that participants would engage, which comprised some sociodemographic data. These were the Nature Connectedness Scale-Adapted (CNS), the Nature Relatedness Scale (NRS) (Nisbet et al., 2009), and the Love and Care for Nature Scale (LCNS) (Perkins, 2010). The final questionnaire comprised 32 items, including four demographic data plus a 28-item scale (Table 1).

Table 1.

Descriptive Statistics for Each of the 32 Items

ITEMS	PRE-EXCURSION		POSTEXCURSION
ITEMS	M	SD	M	SD
Connectedness to nature
I think of the natural world as a community to which I belong	5.83	1.308	5.92	1.501
When I think of my life, I imagine myself to be part of a larger cyclical process of living	5.54	1.141	6.04	1.186
I often feel a kinship with animals and plants	5.71	1.160	5.88	1.076
I feel as though I belong to the Earth as equally as it belongs to me	5.54	1.179	6.08	1.060
I often feel part of the web of life	5.42	1.586	6.21	0.721
I feel that all inhabitants of Earth, human, and nonhuman, share a common “life force”	6.00	1.285	6.13	1.116
Like a tree can be part of a forest, I feel embedded within the broader natural world	5.61	1.530	6.21	0.884
Nature relatedness
My connection to nature and the environment is a part of my spirituality	5.67	1.129	5.83	1.049
My ideal vacation spot would be a remote wilderness area	5.75	1.189	6.08	1.283
I always think about how my actions affect the environment	5.96	0.999	6.29	0.751
My relationship to nature is an important part of who I am	5.83	1.029	6.21	0.833
I take notice of wildlife wherever I am	6.00	0.933	6.17	0.637
I feel very connected to all living things and the earth	5.71	1.160	6.00	0.933
Love and care for nature
I feel joy just being in nature	6.38	0.711	6.54	0.721
I feel that closeness to nature is important for my well-being	6.38	0.711	6.39	0.722
When I am close to nature, I feel a real sense of oneness with nature	5.96	0.955	6.00	1.022
I feel content and somehow at home when I am in unspoilt nature	5.88	0.992	6.09	1.164
I feel a deep love for nature	5.83	1.204	6.13	0.900
I often feel emotionally close to nature	5.79	1.215	6.21	0.977
When I spend time in unspoilt nature, I feel that my day-to-day worries seem to dwindle away in face of the wonder of nature	6.09	1.240	6.46	0.932
Protecting the well-being of nature for its own sake is important to me	6.58	0.776	6.43	0.728
I feel spiritually bound to the rest of nature	5.71	1.197	6.00	1.103
I feel a personal sense of interconnectedness with the rest of nature	5.63	1.135	5.96	1.122
I often feel a sense of awe and wonder when I am in unspoilt nature	6.63	0.647	6.54	0.721
I often feel a strong sense of care toward the natural environment	6.25	0.847	6.21	1.103
I need to have as much of the natural environment around me as possible	5.38	1.245	5.96	0.859
When in natural settings I feel emotionally close to nature	5.92	1.316	6.08	1.018
I enjoy learning about nature	6.29	1.160	6.50	0.590

The CNS by Mayer and Frantz (2004), and adapted by Pasca et al. (2017), showed a reliability coefficient of 0.765 (Table 3) the pre-excursion setting, whereas in postexcursion it was 0.865. This 7-item Likert-type scale estimates the degree of connectedness between the person and nature with statements such as “Like a tree can be part of a forest, I feel embedded within the broader natural world” or “When I think of my life, I imagine myself to be part of a larger cyclical process of living,” with a numerical range of answers (1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree).

Table 3.

Paired Samples t-Test

SCALE	PHASE	M	Σ	T	DF	SIG
Nature connectedness scale	Pre-excursion	5.66	0.705	−2.770	23	0.011
Nature connectedness scale	Postexcursion	6.06
Love and care for nature scale	Pre-excursion	6.04	0.611	−2.247	23	0.035
Love and care for nature scale	Postexcursion	6.23
Nature relatedness scale	Pre-excursion	5.81	0.720	−1.278	23	0.214
Nature relatedness scale	Postexcursion	6.09

The NRS by Nisbet et al. (2009) presented a Cronbach's alpha of 0.898 in the pre-excursion setting and of 0.853 in the postsetting. It included 6 Likert-type items to measure personal criteria related to nature by using phrases such as “My relationship to nature is an important part of who I am” or “My connection to nature and the environment is a part of my spirituality,” with the same numerical response options as the previous scale (1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree).

Finally, the LCNS by Perkins (2010) showed a reliability score in the presetting of 0.955 and in the postsetting of 0.954. It contained 15 items in a Likert-type scale and tried to estimate some emotions and feelings of individuals in the natural environment with the use of sentences such as “I often feel a sense of awe and wonder when I am in unspoilt nature” or “I often feel a strong sense of care towards the natural environment,” with the same numerical options as before (1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree).

Procedure

Interviewers met the group of excursionists at the trip's starting point. Once everyone boarded the buses, participants responded the questionnaire and, after ∼5 h on the road, they arrived at the Pinacate Reserve camping zone called “El Tecolote.” Once there, they set up their tents and later went on a walk nearby to see the sights. Participants were able to spend time together and enjoy the views and the night sky with several astronomical phenomena.

The next day before dawn, participants headed for the dunes to see the sun rise from them, then the excursion continued with a long walk where they were able to observe the “El Elegante” crater, the “Pico Pinacate,” and other tourist spots; all while birdwatching, photographing, and beholding the landscape (see Supplementary Figure S1). After this long excursion, the group returned to the city, and in that trip back they answered the postexperience questionnaire. The results were analyzed with the SPSS Software by acquiring the tests necessary to validate the instrument, obtain the mean values of each scale, and then proceeding to parametric tests and correlates.

Data analysis

As part of this phase several studies were performed to obtain results. First, scales were subjected to reliability tests, while normal distribution data confirmed a paired sample t-test to compare means. Also a statistical descriptive and correlates analysis was held by using SPSS Statistics 21

Results

Data were processed to a statistical descriptors analysis (Table 2), calculating mean and standard deviation values of each item from CNS, NRS, and LCNS and phase pre- and postexcursion. On this analysis, the item “I feel that all inhabitants of Earth, human, and nonhuman, share a common ‘life force’” scored M = 6, SD = 1.285 as the highest on the CNS. As in NRS, the item with the highest M = 6, SD = 0.933 refers to “I take notice of wildlife wherever I am” and the highest score to be reported on LCNS was the item “I often feel a sense of awe and wonder when I am in unspoilt nature” M = 6.63, SD = 0.647.

Table 2.

Reliability Analysis

SCALE	PHASE
SCALE	PRE-EXCURSION	POSTEXCURSION
Nature connectedness scale	0.765	0.865
Nature relatedness scale	0.898	0.853
Love and care for nature scale	0.955	0.954

Also, significant differences were found as the paired sample t-test was performed (Table 3). The first difference was observed in the CNS, where participants said to have felt more connected with the natural environment in the postexcursion phase instrument (σ = 0.705, T (−2.770), Sig = 0.11). Moreover, in the LCNS, participants displayed a stronger sense of feeling deeply related to nature (SD = 0.611, T (−2.247), Sig = 0.35). The data support the fact that the mean for NRS was also increased in the postexcursion phase, although there did not appear to be any statistically significant differences with the pre-excursion phase.

Pearson correlation coefficient was estimated determining a positive correlation between CNS and NRS = 0.83, CNS and LCNS = 0.69, and NRS and LCNS = 0.79, with value of p = 0.01 as shown in Table 4.

Table 4.

Correlations Between the Variables of the Study

	NATURE CONNECTEDNESS SCALE	NATURE RELATEDNESS SCALE	LOVE AND CARE FOR NATURE SCALE
Nature connectedness scale	1
Nature relatedness scale	0.838^**	1
Love and care for nature scale	0.691^**	0.794^**	1

Bold values signifies all values p < 0.01.

n = 24.

p < 0.01.

Discussion

Results from this study show notable increases in volunteers' NC levels after being in contact with nature in the PGDABR. To further delve into the specific results of CNS and LCNS t-tests, there is a notable increase in participants' NC scores after going on the excursion and observing the local flora and fauna. Accordingly, most of the participants registered feelings more attuned to the natural species and wildlife during the postexcursion stage; they also expressed feeling a so-called “shared life force” when surrounded with the plants and animals that let them acquire or increase their feelings related to the wilderness according to the CNS (Mayer & Frantz, 2004), which could be interpreted as a feeling an embodied response of inner vitality when immersed in natural settings.

Likewise, their degree of LCN was also significantly increased. Being that this concept is based on NC and that it refers to the personal emotions relating to nature, the increasement in the LCN degree indicates that such emotions enhance individuals' relationship to the planet; their preference to visit natural spots such as the countryside, forest, desert, or parks; that they feel love for nature; and that they also feel close and spiritually related to the natural. Moreover, participants expressed feelings of pleasure to learn about the environment and protecting it. Much similar to what Perkins (2010) sustained when highlighting the concept of LCN.

Correlation analysis portrayed a link between three studied elements NC, NR, and LCN. Each of these concepts was interconnected with significant values, which establishes that NR and LCN complement NC and make this concept deeper. In addition to feelings of relatedness, being familiar with nature or the degree of love and care felt for it are simultaneously influenced by the personal estimation of how connected to nature individuals feel. Perkins (2010) proved that LCN is strongly correlated with NC (r = 0.79) (Tam, 2013), which is comparable with the results from this study. Along these lines, the LCNS complements the CNS in such a way that the affective and emotional aspect of the relationship between human and nature becomes stronger. Similarly, the NRS, created by Nisbet et al. (2009) which enriches the physical, cognitive, and emotional aspects of the human–nature relationship within the concept of NC, also correlated with the CNS (r = 0.83).

Limitations

This study suffers from a number of limitations—notably related to the complexity in organization and replication of our study. Mainly because of the cost and remoteness of the reserve from the tour's departing city complicated accommodations, as well as the travel expenses, which limited us to hiring local travel agencies with packages for group excursions. It is difficult to find both agencies and participants that desire to take part of a study that takes place during a vacation or relaxation activity.

Furthermore, this study is also limited not only by its consideration of a wide sample in age (ranging from 18 to 60 years), but also for including participants who were interested in partaking the experience at PGDABR and paying for it, due to the fact that each participant was required to pay a high fee that included their own travel, accommodation, and natural park entrance expense. Therefore, these results cannot be generalized or claimed to be universal, given that this sample has previously exhibited a sort of interest in this desertic natural environment.

Conclusions

In this study, we examined the effectiveness of being in contact with nature had over the personal level of NC, NR, and LCNS. We compared our sample level of these variables before going on an excursion to the Sonoran Desert to the level afterward. The statistical analysis demonstrates significant results in all 24 participants after being directly in contact with nature and being part of an overnight journey that was full of activities such as camping, hiking, birdwatching, and dark nature interaction. This allows us to conclude that being surrounded by nature on the PGDABR effectively provided resources toward an enhancement of participants' NC and LCN by developing a much deeper sense of closeness to nature as being part of it, within nature.

Major findings in this study contribute to environmental psychology research by proving contact with nature in our sample improved their NC and LCN. Moreover, our study incorporates deserts as possible settings for future empirical research while valuing contact with nature experiences or the connectedness to nature approach. Further research might also consider incorporating overnight experiences to measure NC derivates to delve on the human–nature relationship while being in contact with nature for longer periods of time even in the absence of instrument application, as long as participants are well rested so fatigue and other criteria may not influence results.

In future study, it may be useful to study particular aspects of NR to further explore this variables in desertic settings. In addition to this, our results suggest that further work foreseen should also include an extensive study incorporating additional measuring scales or qualitative techniques in an aim to expand on self-reported perception by allowing participants to portray their whole experience of being in contact with nature in their own words.

Footnotes

Author Disclosure Statement

No competing financial interests exist.

Funding Information

No funding was received for this article.

Supplementary Material

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