Socio-Environmental Research

Promoting a greater appreciation of nature

There is widespread recognition of the need to protect our natural environment and an increasing acceptance that our ability to do this will, in part, depend on people’s appreciation of nature. 

The purpose of our research is to examine ways of promoting a deeper appreciation of nature and to examine the influence this has on people’s  attitudes to matters of social and environmental importance 

To this end, we have initiated research into ways of putting our scientific understanding of nature into a form that is more readily assimilated with the aim of using this to develop nature appreciation software, courses, publications and signs.           

Research is being carried out at our farm in Berkshire, where we are also examining the tenability of setting aside land for nature appreciation purposes. Nature Appreciation Set-aside Areas (NASA’s) have the combined objectives of:

• Protecting and enhancing our natural environment   
• Providing access to nature
• Enhancing people’s enjoyment of nature
• Promoting a greater understanding of nature
• Promoting a greater affinity with nature

Our aim is to work closely with established socio-environment organisations with a view to making both the materials and the findings available to them