Teaching Familiarity with Nature

In order to get people to care about nature and want to protect it, they first need to be familiar with it. Also,their experiences with it need to have been positive and nurturing

As more of our population becomes urbanized, children are growing up without the chance to enjoy nature. They are also spending less time with their parents. That is why school programs which teach about nature and the environment are especially important.

Adults, too, could benefit from nature sensitivity training. Cities are noisy places with concrete sidewalks and high buildings. Practises such as yoga and meditation, as well as nature walks, can help individuals be more receptive to what is natural.

What about persons from other countries? They may know about the species in their homeland, but never have been taught the difference between a cardinal and a blue jay in Ontario. Nature studies should be a requirement for immigration and citizenship in order to protect our natural environment, and suitable courses should be offered.