Have you recently taken a walk in a park or gone for a hike? The beauty of nature not only brings peace to the mind and benefits the body, but it also serves as an environmental educator. By immersing yourself in nature, you can experience its awe-inspiring greatness and tap into its mysteries, as well as learn about ecology and the environment.
To this end, we have launched the Pledge “Engage Nature for 5”, and we invite all of you to sign it. From July 2023 to May 2024, we encourage everyone to seek out the majesty of nature using the methods we suggest, and to bask in the benefits of nature.
Nature refers to the biodiversity, including various organisms and natural environments. Hong Kong is blessed with the distinctive advantages, boasting about three-quarters of our land being rural areas and a long and diverse coastline. Hong Kong's rich biodiversity is truly amazing, with nearly 40% of bird species in China found here. The city centre and the countryside are just a stone's throw away. Even in the urban areas, as long as we are willing to open our senses and connect with our surroundings, we can all engage with nature.
Despite Hong Kong being a bustling metropolis with beautiful nature and rich biodiversity, many people lead busy lives in the city and may have most of their time occupied by work, digital entertainment and daily routines. The research indicated that Hong Kong citizens spent around 86% of their time indoors1, which means that we are gradually distancing ourselves from nature as we spend more time indoors.
Children are also facing the same problem. The book Last Child in the Woods published in 2008, introduced the concept of "Nature-deficit Disorder," which describes how people are becoming disconnected from the natural world2. This disorder can cause children to become indifferent to the environment, leading to attention problems, depression and other mental disorders, as well as increasing the risk of certain physical problems, such as myopia and obesity.
In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic not only caused health problems for the public, but also greatly affected our opportunities to connect with nature due to various restrictions on going out and socializing. Therefore, it is crucial that we seize the opportunity to reconnect with nature now.
Many studies have shown that exposure to nature can have positive effects on physical and mental health, learning abilities and environmental awareness.
"Engage Nature for 5" is a public commitment activity for individuals, schools and organizations aimed at enhancing Hong Kong citizens' connectedness with nature and promoting local outdoor environmental education.
By providing a range of activity recommendations, this pledge encourages the public, especially schools, parents and students, to engage more with nature and participate in outdoor environmental education activities. Increased exposure to environments can provide short-term benefits such as happiness, relaxation and stress reduction, as well as long-term benefits such as increased satisfaction with family, work and life. By gradually increasing the time spent in nature, participants can improve their physical and mental health, establish a connection with nature, and deepen their sense of belonging and environmental awareness.
Promoting "outdoor environmental education" is our guiding principle. By participating in outdoor education activities, such as visiting parks, forests, mountains, beaches and other outdoor leisure areas, engaging in ecological appreciation, photography, hiking, camping, sports and other leisure activities, everyone can have a deeper understanding and interaction with nature, helping to establish positive relationships with themselves, others and the environment.
Connecting with nature is the core of environmental education, which is an important method for achieving sustainable development and improving people's physical and mental health. With the "Engage Nature for 5" pledge, we hope to create opportunities for all sectors of the society to build a better future for individuals, society and the environment.
Share your heartwarming stories of Engage Nature for 5 on social media and have a chance to participate in a designated activity organized by Outdoor Wildlife Learning Hong Kong (OWLHK) for free.