Running out of nature
One of the things I’ve always loved about running is how it connects you to the natural world. When you’re outside a lot, you notice things; the leaves turning, the river rising, the ground turning from hard-baked crust to puddles and mud, the breeze changing from balmy to ice-edged.
This year, I’ve felt a stronger connection to nature than ever before. Instead of it being a pleasant backdrop to my runs, it’s moved to the heart of them. I’ve tipped back my head to marvel at the woodland canopy. I’ve stopped to smell flowers and later, looked up their names. I’ve watched dragonflies mating in mid-air, picked wild garlic and plump blackberries and learned to know the manic-laugh call of a green woodpecker and the plaintive ‘mew!’ of a buzzard. All of it matters to me, greatly.
It matters because it’s helped me through a difficult year. In common with many people, I’ve found my encounters with nature calming and restorative. A YouGov poll commissioned by the National Trust found that 38 per cent of Brits said that spending time in nature was the highlight of those lockdown days.
Ecopsychology has a term for the unique way nature comforts and nourishes us - ‘soft fascination’ – it draws our attention and appreciation without demanding anything from us. When we’re out in the natural world, we can look, listen and breathe it all in with a sort of passive awe and feel ourselves let go of strife, just a little.
But the other reason it matters is because, undeniably, so much of the nature we take for granted is slipping away. We are in the midst of a global biodiversity crisis which puts the future not just of our countryside, but of the planet as we know it at stake.
A decade ago, at the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, over 190 countries (including the UK) committed to 20 targets aimed at halting the huge and accelerating decline in biodiversity by 2020. Their report, published in September, shows that not one of these targets has been met. Almost 8000 species of fish, amphibian, reptile, mammal and bird are officially categorised as threatened worldwide, and over 9,600 tree species are in danger of extinction. But it’s not just rhinos, polar bears and orangutans that are disappearing.
Here in the UK, a quarter of our native mammals are at risk of extinction, including water voles, red squirrels, wildcats and hedgehogs. Curlews and nightingales have just joined the ‘red list’, alongside cuckoos and turtle doves – birds that were once common here, but which may soon be gone altogether.
And while you may not be sorry that your windscreen is no longer spattered with dead insects after a long drive, the fact that as many as 75 per cent of our flying insects have been wiped out in the last 25 years is a real cause for concern. A lack of insects means starvation for many bird species, which in turn affects the predators who prey on them – an ecosystem under collapse.
If you’re thinking what’s this got to do with running? you’ve got a fair point. I've never (ok, rarely!) used this column as a soapbox before, but I truly believe that as outdoor enthusiasts, it is time we runners voted with our well-worn feet.
If other species aren’t your concern, consider our own. According to the World Health Organisation, climate change “threatens the essential ingredients of human health - clean air, safe drinking water, nutritious food supply and safe shelter.” That’s the air we suck in to our lungs on those runs, the drinking water we carry with us, the food we refuel with afterwards - not to mention the climate that makes running possible.
I know how complex and insurmountable these problems seem, but there are many small – and some big, actions that we can take, both as runners and human beings, listed in The Takeaway.
One more thing. When you’re next out running, take a moment to notice and appreciate the nature you encounter – be it an urban park, a remote hillside, rolling countryside or ancient woodland. In doing so, you strengthen the bond between yourself and nature and grow the compassion that our ailing planet needs.
On this morning’s run, I stopped atop a stile, and looked down the valley, where the sun had just broken through the cloud. Sage and gold fields sloped down to the glinting river, divvied up by berry-rich hedgerows, tree lines and ditches, the wild margins where wildlife thrives. I let my eyes feast for a moment on the beauty that is here and now, and then set off down the hill.
The Takeaway
In your running life…
Pick up litter on your runs – even if it’s just one piece.
Use a reusable water bottle rather than single-use plastic.
Buy less ‘stuff’ – do you really need to upgrade to the latest gadget?
Recycle your kit, swap with friends or buy secondhand (check out rerun.com).
Share lifts to races, and think twice about booking events that involve long car journeys or air travel.
Encourage race organisers to be more environmentally conscious, too – for example, by eliminating plastic or threatening litter droppers with disqualification.
In your daily life…
Run, walk or cycle short journeys instead of driving. (Why not join the #runsome movement?)
Shop wisely – buy less and waste less.
Join organisations that are trying to help turn back the tide – the National Trust, RSPB, Greenpeace - sign petitions and call out businesses that are ignoring, or contributing to, the problem.