Return back to Nature ensures survival of human race

Nepal has emerged as the most Nature-connected nation in the world, according to a research, first of its kind, conducted by academics from Britain and Austria. Involved with the ground-breaking research was Miles Richardson, a famed professor of Nature connectedness at the University of Derby. The study published in the journal Ambio interviewed 57,000 people in 61 countries to examine how human attitude towards Nature is shaped by social, cultural, religious, economic and geographic factors. As a first try, this study on 61 countries may not precisely make a list of nations with closer affinity for the natural world. Because it has surveyed fewer than one-third of the total number of the planet's nations estimated at 195--- with 193 full members of the United Nations (UN) and two non-member observer states: the Holy Vatican City and the State of Palestine.
Nepal tops the list followed by Iran, South Africa, Bangladesh and Nigeria. Croatia and Bulgaria were the only two European nations to have a berth in the top 10 nations. Chile, Ghana and Tunisia are the other members of the top-10 club. Then what are the criteria for developing a close relationship with Nature? According to the study, spirituality and religious faith are the determinants of forging a tie to the natural world. The deeper the spirituality and faith in religion are, the closer the attachment with natural environment. Spirituality is the forte of the Nepalese. On the other hand, negative correlation is embedded in the World Bank's "ease of doing business" metric. Countries boasting more market-friendly and business-oriented economies have accounted for poorer emotional ties to the ecosystem all around.
The research team led by Prof. Richardson has developed the Nature-connection index, as claimed by it, "through comprehensive surveys measuring emotional attachment and psychological affiliation" with the natural environment sustaining life. On that count, industrially advanced nations have generally found themselves wanting in their effort to get closer to Nature. What is particularly remarkable in this context is that stunning natural sceneries are no guarantee for a nation to fall in love with those. Japan is home to some of the exquisitely panoramic views and the land of Pablo Picasso and Federico Garcia Lorca, Spain that is, also boasts quite a number of gorgeous Mediterranean views.
So the ranking of Spain and Japan as the least Nature-connected nations gives some food for thought. Spain known for a midday siesta is not as much industrialised and mechanised as some of the European countries like Britain and Germany. Yet it holds the last slot in the list and Japan follows to place it at the last but one spot. Israel and Saudi Arabia cannot be blamed for maintaining some distance from natural environment. But the land of Beethoven and Mozart should not have earned a slot in the last decile. Similarly, the nation that painstakingly developed the iconic botanical garden called Kew in London has also found itself lumbering at the 7th place from the bottom. Contrary to popular expectation, the Netherlands, famous for tulips, also hobbles to have a place just behind the UK.
Given such anachronisms, the attainment of Bangladesh is still a pleasant surprise. How can a nation that is widely known for declaring rivers of the country as living entities but in effect killing those by strangulation and maltreating other water bodies at the risk of harming the biodiversity of the country earn the 4th place in the index of the Nature-connectedness? Plundering sand, stones including white stones from Bholaganj, Sylhet, earth from hills, trees from reserved forests and poaching in the Sunderbans go unabated. There are few nations in the world which are so inimical to natural resources. Yet, strangely, the nation has been one of the top five to solemnly express its love for Nature.
But how does Bangladesh become a frontrunner in demonstrating its passion and emotion of the natural bond? The answer lies in the instinct of common people like Sirajul Islam Howladar from Patuakhali, Badshah Mian from Peerganj, Rangpur, Abdul Samad Sheikh from Jashore, Shah Sikandar Ahmad Sakir from Sylhet, Abdul Kadir, Gabura Union, Satkhira, Md Abdul Wahid Sardar from Jashore, Sirajul Islam from Galachipa, Patuakhali. All these people have developed a passion for tree plantation without any guidance and instruction. They are passionate about tree plantation and inspiring others to follow in their footsteps so that the land turns more and more green.
The looters of natural resources may outnumber such individuals who have made plantation of trees a lifelong mission but the latter have made the message clear: without trees, herbs and shrubs, human life will not survive on this planet. What these people feel instinctively, the educated and the privileged miss because of their overriding concern for making money by means fair or foul. Naturalists and environmentalists have in-depth knowledge of plants, animals and living organisms of all forms along with the environment in which their lives prosper. Men like Dwijen Sharma and Salim Ali, a world famous ornithologist, have shown by example that love for Nature is love for the human race. One need not be a naturalist and primatologist like Dian Fossey to save exotic species. Yet one can still contribute to preserving the biological ecosystem for the posterity.
Bangladesh could be a far better place to live in if only the avarice of the influential people could be restrained. They feel no qualm about money laundering, exhausting natural resources for unlimited personal gains at the expense of environmental and ecological resilience of the land. They are the people who are responsible for exacerbating the discriminatory impacts on the land and its people. Notwithstanding the plunderers' negative correlation with natural environment, the common people's sense of oneness with Nature has triumphed as highlighted by the Richardson-led research team's study.

nilratanhalder2000@yahoo.com