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Poster Short Abstract

We explored the impacts of participation in the Tiny Forest citizen science programme in London on nature connectedness, place attachment, and ecological responsibility through surveys, interviews, and observation.

Poster Abstract

Human societies face unprecedented ecological crises that demand not only technological and policy responses but also fundamental shifts in how people relate to nonhuman nature. A growing body of research highlights the “extinction of experience”—the decline in everyday encounters with nature due to urbanisation—which has been linked to reduced ecological concern, diminished wellbeing, and weakened nature connectedness and place attachment.

Citizen science (CS) has emerged as a promising approach to address this disconnect, offering opportunities for meaningful engagement with the natural world. In addition, participation in CS projects grounded in the local context can foster place attachment and lead measurable individual and collective change. However, most research on CS participant benefits has focused on cognitive benefits such as knowledge acquisition and learning outcomes, leaving its potential to cultivate nature connectedness and place attachment underexplored. This is despite growing evidence that nature connection and sense of place are both possible key levers for sustainability transformation.

We present findings from a pilot study investigating participants in the Tiny Forest CS programme across six locations in London through surveys, ethnographic observations and interviews. The study examines the extent to which participation in CS fosters nature connectedness, place attachment, and local ecological responsibility and how individual and site-specific factors shape participant outcomes.