Nature and accessibility

What does access to nature mean to you?

For most of my life, all I had to do to be in nature was step out the door of my family’s home. I didn’t even have to drive to find a place to hike: Just slip on my shoes and go. In college, I had the campus green and a few favorite trails up on the mountain, along with volunteer work cleaning parks and visits to friends whose families had lake houses. Then, suddenly, I had something else—chronic health conditions that made that sort of engagement with nature difficult, if not outright impossible. Suddenly access wasn’t enough. I needed accessibility.

For those of us that live in cities where green spaces aren’t prioritized, access to nature can already be challenging: Is there a bus route nearby? Is the space safe and clean? How far away is it, and does it cost to enter? Barriers like this contribute to why ‘nature’ feels more and more like it only exists in photos of beautiful, remote rainforests and videos of tumbling baby animals in the wild.

For disabled individuals like me there’s even more to consider: How many stairs are there in the buildings and paths, and are there ramps or places to rest? How far away is parking, and are the paths well maintained or wide enough for mobility aids? Of course it doesn't stop there. There are invisible illnesses and disabilities that mean you need sunshade, access to water, or even require air of a certain quality to make physical activity safe.

Nature needs us now

If nature is this important for our health, then we also need to ask “What does access to conservation mean to you?” Yes, everyone deserves access and accessibility to enjoy nature, and that presents complex challenges, but nature also needs us now more than ever. How can each of us do our part to protect it? Just like access to being in nature, everyone deserves the chance to contribute to saving it.

Give an hour for Earth this month

World Wildlife Fund’s Give an Hour project is a unique and very accessible way to contribute. Yes, giving an hour to the Hour Bank can involve a hike or picking up trash in a local park, but it can also look like educating yourself on what might affect local species in your area or listening to a podcast about modern conservation efforts. Most of us carry a pretty powerful camera in our pockets these days, so snap a picture of any local wildlife and see what you can learn about them. Take a moment to research the green spaces in your area or check on your local watershed. Craft an email to your local government or call a friend to tell them an interesting nature fact.

The point is connection, awareness, and dedication. It might not feel like conservation, but it is. Every action counts, and what truly matters is that it matters to you. Accessibility to nature needs to improve and conservation as a field needs to address accessibility in their work, as many practices, places, and activities need to do. But the place to start is wherever you are, with whatever you can do. Every hour counts.

¹ Alotiby, A. Immunology of Stress: A Review Article. J. Clin. Med. 2024, 13, 6394.