Kent Green and Blue Spaces book by Naomi Rintoul-Hynes

Topics from ID module on 'Green Spaces as Health, Wellbeing and Biodiversity Resources' + potential contributors

nr170 — 2025-02-26 09:57:13 UTC

1. Our connection with nature via animism and cultural heritage
(Jane Lovell, Adriana Consorte-McCrea, Mark Williams)

2. A sense of place - from green architecture to psychogeography
(Sarn Rich, Jane Lovell, Julie Jones)

3. Physical health benefits of green spaces, from reduced air pollution to improved water infrastructure
(Naomi Rintoul-Hynes, Jay Ingate, health/biomed person?)

4. Mental health/wellbeing benefits of green spaces
(Amy Batbold, Daisy Hall, Julie Jones, Dennis Nigbur, Naomi Rintoul-Hynes)

5. Biodiversity in green spaces
(Naomi Rintoul-Hynes, Phil Buckley, Daisy Hall)

6. Urban blight and land abandonment?
(Naomi Rintoul-Hynes, Dan Donoghue)

7. Mapping habitat connectivity and fragmentation
(John Hills, Catriona Cooper, Naomi Rintoul-Hynes)

8. Human dimensions of habitat conservation and restoration projects
(Adriana Consorte-McCrea, Anke Franz)

9. Fostering collaboration between social and biosciences to reduce human-wildlife conflict and promote coexistence
(Adriana Consorte-McCrea)

10. Green spaces as resources for teaching, active citizenship and community projects
(Peter Vujakovic, Siobhan O’Connor, Ellie Williams, Sarn Rich, Daisy Hall)

11. The nature/culture divide in policy
(Ellie Williams, Catriona Cooper, Mark Williams)

12. Social injustices related to access to green space
(Katja Hallenberg, Amy Batbold, Naomi Rintoul-Hynes)

13. Green spaces, perceived safety and crime
(Katja Hallenberg, Daisy Hall)

Ecology and biodiversity of green and blue habitats (Naomi Rintoul-Hynes)

nr170 — 2025-02-27 09:23:27 UTC

Biodiversity of green and blue spaces, from microbes to mammals; important/rare/keystone species in Kent; measuring the quality of green and blue habitats for the species that inhabit them; changes over time (in species abundance/diversity, habitat quality and connectivity/fragmentation).

Children, nature connection and well-being

2025-02-27 12:25:45 UTC

This chapter would look at research on the effects of children and being in nature and interacting with nature. For example, Braus et al. (2018) argue that "an increasing body of empirical research is showing that young people—starting from our earliest learners—who have regular experiences with nature, children who bond with nature, develop critical and creative thinking skills that will help them succeed in life (Adams & Savahl, 2017). We're also learning that immersing children in nature to play and learn can result in reduced stress, improved brain development and restoration, increased social and emotional skills development, and civic engagement (Hartig, Mitchell, de Vries, & Frumkin, 2014)."

This is important for Kent in a lot of ways. For example, Kent has some of the most deprived areas and access to nature can be hindered there. It can also be impacted by planning. I think I can recollect that it is really hard from Dover (one area with pockets of high deprivation) to access the White Cliffs without a car due to roads. The chapter could look at this and make recommendations.

This chapter would be led on by Anke Franz and Julia Ulber.

Human dimensions of restoring wildlife to green and blue spaces

2025-02-27 13:45:29 UTC

Restoring the complex biodiversity of landscapes may involve the reintroduction of species to re-establish healthy and functional ecosystem dynamics. Some of these species may have been absent for generations, or may be new surrogates that fulfill key ecosystem functions, formerly provided by species that are no longer available. However, reintroductions are likely to take place in areas that are inhabited or of interest to people. With human population growth, urban encroachment and competing land use in Kent, wildlife restoration and management gains from building long term relationships with people, across diverse communities.

Interdisciplinary collaboration between fields such as ecology, social psychology and human dimensions research provides insights to help us understand human-wildlife interactions and to promote coexistence in the context of local wildlife restoration (including conservation translocations and rewilding).

This chapter will explore human-wildlife interactions and their role in the restoration of green and blue habitats in Kent.