Goldberg, S. (2021). Annotated bibliography: Mental health and climate change. Ara.

This literature review and research report is the first part of a community engagement project funded in 2021 by the Avon-Heathcote Estuary Ihutai Trust. Completed as part of a student portfolio for BSOE701 at Ara, its purpose was to research the intersection of sustainability and outdoor recreation. This was achieved by exploring how interdisciplinary approaches to conservation and ecological protection can be achieved through increased awareness, interaction with, and care of our natural environment.

In the report, the author used existing literature and research to exemplify their understanding that mindfulness and nature connection can simultaneously support human and environmental health and wellbeing. Overall, they concluded that acknowledging and understanding the reciprocal relationship between humans and nature could be beneficial in informing policies and strategies to support individuals, communities, and ecological environments as the climate changes. They emphasised that in a rapidly changing environment, a sense of meaningful agency to connect and care for self and others was critical in giving people practical direction and purpose. To achieve this, the author recommended that wellness initiatives designed to regularly connect people to natural environments and conservation and environmental groups that engage people in environmental stewardship were valuable for supporting people’s physical, social, and spiritual health.