OUR CHANGED WORLD: Well-loved trails tell of our reliance on nature during pandemic

Mike Hendren is the regional vice-president for the Nature Conservancy of Canada in Ontario.  METROLAND GRAPHIC

From the Toronto Star, February 22, 2022
By Mike Hendren

Canada’s leading thinkers reflect on how COVID-19 has changed our community, Canada and the world, and forever altered the future.

Close your eyes. Picture yourself beneath a tree, and breathe deeply. In your yard, in a park or way up in the boreal forest, it doesn’t matter where you’re standing in your mind’s eye. Your tree is cleaning the air you just breathed in, and it might also be sheltering a squirrel or boasting a choir of songbirds. That’s the power of nature.

Nature also serves as a refuge for many people who seek out its songs, fresh smells and vibrant colours when everyday stresses mount up. Over the last 24 months, the footsteps on trails in conservation areas and parks across Ontario have marked our rekindled connection with the natural world. Across the province, people are flocking to nature to help soothe anxieties brought on or amplified by the pandemic.

In fact, results from a recent Ipsos Public Affairs poll for the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) pointed out that 40 per cent of people in Ontario are spending more time in nature now than they were before the pandemic began. One-third of all respondents said that being in nature helps them cope with stress and anxiety brought on by the pandemic.

These findings underscore why protecting and caring for nature is so vital. People are turning to nature reserves and green spaces for physically distanced outdoor activities that support their physical, mental and emotional health. We are embracing opportunities to get fresh air, exercise, feel a sense of calm and take a break from increased telework and screen time.

Of the 18 per cent of people in that poll who said they are spending less time in nature, lack of access was a barrier for many who said they require transportation or don’t have natural spaces close to where they live. Others said they simply don’t have time.

From the nature in your garden to the remarkable 15 million hectares that NCC has helped protect across Canada — roughly double the size of New Brunswick — each leaf, bird and bug plays an important role, not just in our own well-being, but also in the natural systems that support biodiversity and help lessen the impacts of climate change. It’s why we’re taking significant steps to help protect 30 per cent of Canada’s land by 2030, because when nature thrives, we all thrive.

So, wherever you are, take a deep breath in and experience the power of nature surrounding you.

Mike Hendren is the regional vice-president for the Nature Conservancy of Canada in Ontario.

Read the article here