Access to Nature; a right or a privilege?

How does where we are from influence how we connect with nature? I have spent most of my life living on the west coast of the United States, a place full of wide open spaces and natural diversity. Recently I travelled to Croatia to visit the UNESCO World Heritage site Plitvice Lakes (Plitvicka Jereza) National Park , a popular tourist destination known for its sixteen terraced lakes, numerous waterfalls and dense beech, fir and spruce forests. During my visit I was struck by the congestion caused by the large tour groups of keen photographers and elderly visitors (some in high heeled shoes) being guided along narrow boardwalks. Walking in this unique natural area, sounds were drowned out by voices and views were obscured by bodies. It got me thinking about the way in which individuals interact and feel connected to nature. In the U.S. 25-50% of terrestrial lands are protected, according to the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Center's 2007 Annual Report , and a large percentage of that area is in the west. Living in Oregon I have daily opportunities to connect to nature with access to dense forests and undeveloped coastlines. In European countries less than 10%- 25% of terrestrial lands are protected, Croatia being in the less than 10% range. Access to natural areas is much more limited and interaction is restricted. Do these differences fundamentally influence our perceptions of our relationship to the natural world, for example is access to nature a privilege or a right? If it is a right, does that mean people can exploit it? If it is a privilege, does that mean people will respect it?

From my perspective access to nature is a right but with that comes the responsibility of stewardship. In the U.S. we have unprecedented access to some of the most beautiful places and some of the greatest expanses of open space. But through much of Europe access to natural open spaces is limited and peoples perspective of nature is very different. From a conservation standpoint and to ensure that people develop and maintain connection to the rest of the natural world, it is extremely important to bridge the gap between those that view access as a right and those who view access as a privilege.

Photo used under the creative commons license from flickr users jimmyharris and pululante