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Models for Quantifying the Nature Deficit Giavanna Gast ...
Transcript of Models for Quantifying the Nature Deficit Giavanna Gast ...
Models for Quantifying the Nature Deficit
Giavanna Gast
Lehigh University
Introduction:
My research project focused on the nature deficit, a theory developed by Richard Louv that
states that the ever-growing gap between people in industrialized societies and nature is causing
negative effects on the physical, psychological, and spiritual wellbeing of people in industrialized
societies (Louv).
My research focused on testing out two models to study the nature deficit from a quantitative
point of view. The models tested were a survey of industrialized society and a comparative analysis of
plant knowledge in indigenous and industrialized countries.
The first model, the general survey, was used to assess a baseline from which straightforward
quantitative analysis of the nature deficit is possible. The second model is referred to as the
knowledge model, and it’s objective was to gain insights on the nature deficit by comparing plant
knowledge in indigenous and industrialized communities.
Justification:
This research project is of importance as it is quantizing a field that has been primarily
referenced in qualitative terms. Quantitative research in ethnobotany is especially important as it
increases scientific rigor and can often lead to new discoveries.
Additionally, the nature deficit is important to me personally as time in nature is necessary
for my mental health.
Methods:
General Survey:
The general survey was administered within the US through a Google Form. This survey was
composed of a series of questions regarding habitual plant interaction in people’s lives and was
completely anonymous. The survey was distributed through social media platforms with an emphasis
on not posting to topic-relevant forums (such as naturalist forums) to decrease bias. The sample size
was 213 informants. Demographic information on the informants from the general survey can be
found in Chart 1 and Chart 2 in the Appendix.
The Knowledge Model:
The methodology used for the knowledge model included the synthesization of plant
knowledge data from prior ethnobotanical research conducted in indigenous communities and
collected free-list data in an industrial community.
It was decided that plant knowledge would be studied in three categories: medicinal, wild
edible plants (WEPs), and other daily life uses. This is because these categories are comparable across
traditional and industrial communities and there is ample literature available.
Data of traditional plant knowledge was synthesized from a total of 37 articles from databases
and ethnobotanical journals. Of the papers sourced, 15 focused on medicinal knowledge, 13 on WEP
knowledge, and 9 on other daily life use knowledge. Articles were sourced from communities around
the world.
The free-listing exercise was administered to a sample of 8 Lehigh student-informants. Before
the exercise was completed, informants were prompted to read the informed consent form and
provide a virtual signature to denote agreement with the clauses stated. Data was not accepted if the
informed consent form was not signed.
Statistical analysis was then performed with the data collected. The statistics used were the
summation of unique plant species (or genera) listed divided by the number of informants in the
study.
= ∑ Unique Plant Species = ∑ Unique Plant Genera
_________________________ And _________________________
Number of Informants Number of Informants
Next, a simple comparative analysis of plant species knowledge between indigenous and
industrialized communities was performed. From the data collected in the industrialized sample, a
comparative analysis was completed between plant species and genera knowledge. The plant genera
knowledge collected in this study was not comparable across indigenous and industrialized
communities and was therefore not included in the results.
Results:
General Survey:
Results from the general survey give insight into the daily people-plant interactions in
industrialized society.
Informants were first asked to rank how much they interact with plants/nature in their daily
lives from one (infrequently) to five (very frequently). The distribution of responses is shown in
Figure 1 below. Next, informants were asked: “If applicable, what are these interactions?”. The most
frequently-listed interactions were caring for houseplants, gardening, hiking, walking, running, and
sitting outside. The responses collected demonstrate that the majority of these interactions are
hobbies or relaxing activities.
The idea of nature being relaxing is further exemplified from the responses to the question
“How would you rate the importance of nature in your daily life?”. Again, respondents were asked to
rank from one (not important) to five (extremely important). While only 23% of informants
responded very frequent daily interactions with nature, 42% of informants responded that nature was
“extremely important” in their daily life. The full distribution of responses to this question is found in
Figure 2.
Again, respondents were asked in open-answer form: “If applicable, what is this importance?”.
In response, many people stated that nature is “relaxing,” “therapeutic,” and alleviates anxiety. Some
quotes from respondents that exemplify this are: “[plants] give me such peace and grounding” &
“plants nourish my mental health.” One of my favorite quotes was one that simply stated, “it’s there.”
This quote exemplifies how even though people may not have extensive interactions with nature in
their daily lives, comfort is found in knowing that nature simply exists.
Figure 1
Frequency of Respondent Interactions with Plants/Nature in Daily Life
Note: Infrequently (1); Very Frequently (5)
Next, informants were asked: “When did you last spend time in nature/take a nature break?”
and “Where did this nature break occur?”. From this, it was found that 81% of respondents had taken
a nature break in the past week and 62% had taken a nature break in the past several days. A full
breakdown of respondent percentages can be found in Figure 3 below.
The physical environment of the nature break was asked to gather a more complete
understanding of the characteristics of people’s time with nature. For example, a walk occurring in a
suburban neighborhood has extremely different biodiversity and people-plant interactions than a
hike through the forest. It was found that 43% of reported nature breaks occurred within a
neighborhood or backyard setting. This is enlightening information on daily life interactions as well
as respondent definition of “nature.” It can be seen that the respondents were not equating “nature”
with “the wild” since plants in neighborhoods are usually planted and well-manicured. This
distinction is of great importance in understanding how people in industrialized societies view
nature, as this conceptualization is a direct reflection of interactions. The full distribution of nature
break settings is found in Figure 4.
Figure 2
Frequency of Responded Importance of Nature in Daily Life
Note: Not Important (1); Extremely Important (5)
Figure 3
Distribution of Time Since Last Nature Break in Respondents
Figure 4
Distribution of the Nature Break Physical Environment
Knowledge Model:
Analysis of plant knowledge data was analyzed in three categories: medicinal, wild edible
plants (WEPs), and other daily life uses. Plant species knowledge in these categories was compared
between traditional and industrial communities. Figures 5, 6, & 7 correspond to this data and are
shown below.
In regards to medicinal plant knowledge, an average knowledge of 1.6 unique species per
person was found. In the industrialized sample, an average knowledge of 1.7 unique species per
person (with an error of 0.2 species per person) was found. This error occurred as a result of
uncertainty in how to count species due to colloquial botanical names. For example, informants listed
thyme and oregano as medicinal plants. This may have been in reference to the genera or the most
used species, which are commonly referred to by the broader genera names.
Within the category of WEPs, the literature indicated an average knowledge of 0.82 species
per person. Within the industrialized sample, there was an average knowledge of 1.875 species per
person.
The category of other daily life uses included plants used for construction, cosmetic, spiritual,
decorative, and other purposes. It was found that in indigenous communities, there was an average
knowledge of 2.23 species per person. In the industrialized sample, there was an average knowledge
of 0.75 species per person.
While species referenced as being used in the daily lives of traditional people had almost
exclusively utilitarian purposes, more than 25% of species listed from the free-list exercise were used
for decorative purposes. This illuminates a fundamental difference in the roles of plants in
indigenous and industrial societies. Further research on this topic specifically may provide a
fascinating and useful analysis of the nature deficit.
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7
In addition to a comparative analysis between plant knowledge in indigenous and
industrialized communities, the free-listing exercise provided some unexpected, yet informative data
on the distribution of plant knowledge within the industrialized community.
In the free-listing exercise, an abundance of informants listed a significant amount of plant
genera instead of particular plant species. As such, analysis within the sample was completed between
the listed unique genera and species per person. The results were analyzed by category and are shown
in Figures 8, 9, & 10.
This data indicates that in the industrialized sample, there was more general plant knowledge
than specific plant knowledge. In other words, while there is a general understanding of plants,
specific knowledge and familiarity necessary for effective use may be lacking. This is exemplified by
one informant listing “mushrooms” as a WEP. This shows that while the informant knows some
mushrooms are edible, they lack the specific knowledge of which mushrooms are edible.
Figure 8
Figure 9
Figure 10
Analysis & Conclusion:
The general survey has many benefits within the realm of the nature deficit. As exemplified
by the results, this survey gives specific information surrounding daily people-plant interactions. This
approach was also successful in serving as a baseline from which areas within the nature deficit could
be explored further. One drawback is that a comparative analysis between levels of industrialization
would be very difficult with this approach. Devising a survey to obtain helpful data on the nature
deficit in both indigenous and industrialized communities would be challenging, if not impossible.
Therefore, if a comparative analysis is wanted, other methods would be preferable. Overall, the
general survey is extremely successful in collecting desired data from a large population in a time and
cost-efficient manner.
While the knowledge model has benefits, the test of the model exemplified that it is
inherently vulnerable to confounding variables. For example, I was particularly worried about the
differences in methodology being used in the ethnobotanical literature. Several times, I decided to
not include an otherwise helpful article because the researcher stated that several local experts were
interviewed in the field of interest. This decision was sensible in the scope of their experiments, but it
leads to a conundrum within the context of assessing plant knowledge as those statistics may not be
representative of the general public. I intentionally worked to decrease bias due to this, but such
analysis is time-intensive and not foolproof. Therefore, to minimize confounding variables, I believe
that research on plant knowledge in indigenous and industrialized communities should be conducted
by the same researcher.
The knowledge model, while having its difficulties, has several redeeming qualities. In
particular, it allows for analysis between communities of all levels of industrialization, from
completely traditional to extremely urban populations. As such, this model has prospects for
understanding changes in plant knowledge with respect to increasing industrialization. Additionally,
this sort of statistic has potential applicability to other topics, making it a very alluring model to be
improved upon.
Ultimately, analysis of the nature deficit from a quantitative perspective is possible using
both the general survey and knowledge model. The methods yield a wide variety of data from which
several aspects of the nature deficit can be explored. In essence, both methods have pros and cons,
with the survey approach seeming to be more direct and time-efficient.
Appendix: Chart 1: Residence/Locality Distribution of Respondents (General Survey)
Chart 2: Age Distribution of Respondents (General Survey)
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