Videophilia vs. Mother Nature
Bad news: our deepening intimacy with electronic devices is apparently to blame for our growing apathy toward communing with nature.“As a scientist and a conservationist, I find these results almost terrifying,” said Oliver Pergams, lead author of a new Nature Conservancy international recreation study published online by National Academy of Sciences. “We are seeing a fundamental shift away from people’s interest in nature, not just in the US but in other countries, too. The consequences of this could be deep and far-ranging for health, for human well-being, and for the future of the planet.”
Camping, hunting, fishing and national park visits have declined sharply for two decades, the researchers found. TV, video games and Internet use – videophilia is the term – are way up.
What’s a planet to do?
Almost as scary as the research is the fact it will take a new strategy to, yes, market nature: Said the authors, “Less exposure to nature seems to mean less environmental awareness and appreciation of nature for its own sake. Instead, people may come to value nature more for the goods and services nature provides, like photosynthesis and pollinators. Making people aware of the incredible value of such ecosystem services would become the more pragmatic approach.”
Ecosystem services? I think I need to take a walk.
I'd like to see how the current "green" trend affects the park visit numbers. In a couple years the Nature Conservancy should check the data again to find out if more environmental awareness has helped to increase park visits. My guess is that the answer is no.
It's pretty obvious that if no new campgrounds are built, and popular campgrounds are always full, that as population grows the "per-capita" visit numbers decrease. I see this entire study as being a thinly-veiled attempt by a Nature organization to recruit new members.