Connectedness to Nature: Consequences for Well-Being and Sustainability
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Health, Well-Being and Sustainability".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 760
Special Issue Editors
Interests: self-nature representations; positive emotions; well-being benefits of pets
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
People’s feelings of connectedness with nature can take many forms. For example, some people may view nature as an important part of their self-concept. Other people may view the natural world as central to their belief systems, underscoring the self-relevance of plants, animals, and ecosystems. Yet other individuals may feel a sense of connection to places in the natural world, with these place attachments leading people to become especially concerned about protecting these locations from harm and degradation. Often, feelings of integration, attachment, unity, and oneness with nature encourage greater sustainability and improve people’s mental and physical health. Exploring self–nature connection (e.g., inclusion of nature in self, place identification, biospheric values, biophilia) often involves the interdisciplinary integration of the social and the environmental sciences. In addition to supporting sustainability and well-being, connections to nature often underlie promising interventions and educational practices (e.g., community-based conservation, self-discovery, etc.).
This Special Issue will examine how people’s sense of connection to nature supports their well-being and engagement in pro-environmental action. Submissions that engage with these themes (broadly defined) are encouraged.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Prof. Dr. Allen R. McConnell
Dr. Jill Korach
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- nature connectedness
- sustainability
- well-being
- self-concept
- self-transcendence
- biophilia
- place-based conservation
- community-based conservation
- social and cultural identity
- pro-environmental behavior
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