Connection to Nature, Deep Ecology, and Conservation Social Science

Book excerpt: In Connection to Nature, Deep Ecology, and Conservation Social Science: Human-Nature Bonding and Protecting the Natural World , Christian Diehm analyzes the relevance of the philosophy of deep ecology to contemporary discussions of human-nature connectedness. Focusing on deep ecologists’ notion of “identification” with nature, Diehm argues that deep ecological theory is less conceptually problematic than is sometimes thought, and offers valuable insights into what a sense of connection to nature entails, what its attitudinal and behavioral effects might be, and how it might be nurtured and developed. This book is closely informed by, and engages at length with, conservation social science, which Diehm draws on to assess the claims of deep ecology theorists, resolve long-standing problems associated with their work, investigate the impacts of time outdoors on human-nature bonding, and critically review the biophilia hypothesis. Emphasizing the foundational role of ecologically-inclusive identities in pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors, Diehm demonstrates that having a sense of connection to nature is more important than many environmental advocates have realized, and that deep ecology has much to add to the increasingly pressing conversations about it.