Nature & Environment
Feel free to walk on the grass
– using and caring for nature
Outdoor recreation is of great importance to our physical and mental well-being. the landscape and urban green areas play an important part: more than 95 per cent of the adult population goes for longer or shorter trips to the countryside at least once a year. most recent calculations from the Danish Forest and Landscape research institute show that forests and beaches receive about 75 and 54 million visits respectively each year.
Being in nature and experiencing flora and fauna gives us joy and influences us in a positive way. our perspective on nature is about our perceptions and experience of nature and landscapes. our perspective on nature is a part of our value basis and aesthetics and it holds our understanding of what nature is and how we should behave in it. our perspective on nature defines, whether directly or indirectly, the strategies according to which we choose to use or protect nature. Furthermore, the more we use nature, the more we understand it and want to safeguard it.
We also have a need and a responsibility for the quality of the nature close to us every day. this applies for example to our own gardens and the nature available to us in residential areas, industrial areas, along roads and pathways, as well as other green areas close to the city. Here, we can do more for the wild animals and plants.
The discharge of nitrogen to nature is a problem that affects plants and thus also animals in the worst way.
Our actions also affect nature far from us, for example when we buy products manufactured from tropical wood. if the wood is not produced legally and in a sustainable manner, as consumers we could be contributing to clearing the tropical rainforest, which is already under dire threat. therefore, we should make sure the wood has been manufactured in an acceptable manner by buying, for example, FSC-certified wood.
4 Number of visits to forests
Source: The Danish Forest and Landscape Research Institute
This indicator shows the number of visits to Danish forests in 1976/77 and 1993/94. the number of forest visits was calculated at about 40 million annually in 1976/77 and about 50 million annually in 1993/94. an increased recreational use
of the forests is assumed to promote welfare and health and is therefore a good trend with regard to forest use in Denmark. at the same time, access to nature is a fundamental building block for sustainable behaviour and outdoor recreation.
5 Number of nature guides
Source: The Danish Forest and Nature Agency
Nature guides carry out activities in nature with the objective of enhancing people's understanding of nature and disseminating knowledge about environmental conditions in nature. there is an increasing demand to experience nature. at the same time, more and more people are recognising nature guidance
as an excellent way of creat
ing an increased understanding of nature which can make the experience of nature stronger.
The number of nature guides is increasing steadily, from 128 in 1994 to 286 in 2004. Nature guides run about 26,000 activities annually with a total of about 850,000 participants. Nature guidance can help create a better understanding of nature and increased awareness of the environment. Nature guidance can also be seen as an important tool to promote green responsibility.
Version 1.0 July 2007, © Danish Environmental Protection Agency