2006; Groffman et al. 2014). This generic approach to urban greening constitutes
“blandscaping”: landscaping that uses the same designs, and often the same species.
It has become a “best practice” model that has been shared and used across different
urban regions nationally and globally (Connop and Nash 2018).
A similar homogenization, albeit with a different driving factor, can be seen in the
farmed countryside over many parts of the world. For instance The Netherlands, now
one of the largest agricultural exporters in the world, used to have a rich wildlife in
the countryside. The species richness and landscape heterogeneity, even in agricultural regions, were the result of fragmented ownerships in combination with mechanical land-use practices. The increasing use of mineral fertilizers and pesticides is a
development of the last hundred years. Today industrial agriculture is more and more
independent of the ecological conditions, as unfavourable conditions can be compensated by application of water, fertilisers, melioration, or other measures. Whereas
historically each region had its own types of land use and could easily be recognized
at the landscape level, now those regions look more and more the same as agricultural practices become increasingly similar. As a result, local flora and fauna become
more and more homogenised. This process had already been noticed more than half a
century ago by Westhoff (1949) who pointed out that this increased the scale,
reduced the variation in the environment and led to a great loss of species. Because
cities are interlaced with their surroundings, processes in the rural areas are affecting
urban regions as well, and the declining biodiversity outside the cities will affect the
cities as well.
3 Affinity to Nature
What are the consequences of urbanisation for the perception of the citizens and their
attitude towards nature. Today, urban residents have much influence on political and
socio-economic issues (e.g. McDonald et al. 2018). When there is sufficient support
among them for environmental issues and for stopping the loss of biodiversity, there
is hope for the conservation of nature worldwide.
Urban dwellers have different possibilities for getting in touch with the biosphere,
such as theoretical learning, visiting museums, botanical gardens, aquariums and
zoos, and even by direct contact with the wildlife in the city. Fascination by
experience might be an important step. The occasion of experiencing next door
nature in urban and peri-urban habitats may promote a positive nature-culture
relationship.
Socio-cultural facilities and performances, such as painting, sculpture, storytelling, poetry, music, mindfulness, and so on, can support this relationship. Exhibitions
of photographs can easily result in a wish for more contact with/knowledge about
nature. Knowledge grows from the experience of nature and can also be transferred
from one person to another: nature study and nature education. From the science of
biology and ecology, and from insights following experiences of natural beauty and
nature study, people can make choices, including what nature they want to preserve.
430
J. Jansen and C. Hobohm
“blandscaping”: landscaping that uses the same designs, and often the same species.
It has become a “best practice” model that has been shared and used across different
urban regions nationally and globally (Connop and Nash 2018).
A similar homogenization, albeit with a different driving factor, can be seen in the
farmed countryside over many parts of the world. For instance The Netherlands, now
one of the largest agricultural exporters in the world, used to have a rich wildlife in
the countryside. The species richness and landscape heterogeneity, even in agricultural regions, were the result of fragmented ownerships in combination with mechanical land-use practices. The increasing use of mineral fertilizers and pesticides is a
development of the last hundred years. Today industrial agriculture is more and more
independent of the ecological conditions, as unfavourable conditions can be compensated by application of water, fertilisers, melioration, or other measures. Whereas
historically each region had its own types of land use and could easily be recognized
at the landscape level, now those regions look more and more the same as agricultural practices become increasingly similar. As a result, local flora and fauna become
more and more homogenised. This process had already been noticed more than half a
century ago by Westhoff (1949) who pointed out that this increased the scale,
reduced the variation in the environment and led to a great loss of species. Because
cities are interlaced with their surroundings, processes in the rural areas are affecting
urban regions as well, and the declining biodiversity outside the cities will affect the
cities as well.
3 Affinity to Nature
What are the consequences of urbanisation for the perception of the citizens and their
attitude towards nature. Today, urban residents have much influence on political and
socio-economic issues (e.g. McDonald et al. 2018). When there is sufficient support
among them for environmental issues and for stopping the loss of biodiversity, there
is hope for the conservation of nature worldwide.
Urban dwellers have different possibilities for getting in touch with the biosphere,
such as theoretical learning, visiting museums, botanical gardens, aquariums and
zoos, and even by direct contact with the wildlife in the city. Fascination by
experience might be an important step. The occasion of experiencing next door
nature in urban and peri-urban habitats may promote a positive nature-culture
relationship.
Socio-cultural facilities and performances, such as painting, sculpture, storytelling, poetry, music, mindfulness, and so on, can support this relationship. Exhibitions
of photographs can easily result in a wish for more contact with/knowledge about
nature. Knowledge grows from the experience of nature and can also be transferred
from one person to another: nature study and nature education. From the science of
biology and ecology, and from insights following experiences of natural beauty and
nature study, people can make choices, including what nature they want to preserve.
430
J. Jansen and C. Hobohm