Nature is making a big comeback in the midst of the pandemic. A new study shows there have been significant increases in outdoor activity during COVID-19, most notably among women.
Whether stuck at home or working at a highly stressful essential worker job — people seem to be seeking to ease their anxiety by getting out and enjoying nature.
Outdoor activities with largest increases included: watching wildlife (up 64%), gardening (57%), taking photos or doing other art in nature (54%), relaxing alone outside (58%) and walking (70%), according to the study. Of the 15 outdoor activities studied, some went down in frequency — including camping —while other activities stayed relatively constant, including biking, boating and fishing.
Women were more likely than men to increase their outdoor activities and people who lost their jobs during the pandemic also reported increased gardening, walking and wildlife watching.
“This study is a timely snapshot of the central role nature plays in our well-being and how important access to nature is during challenging, uncertain times like this pandemic,” said study author Tatiana Gladkikh, from the Rubenstein School Gladkikh. “I hope the results help inform future land management decisions.”
Source:
Newswise December 16, 2020