This project is investigating the relationships between nature and urban residents' wellbeing. Nature is broadly defined as all plants and non-human animals, including wildlife, companion animals, and pets. The geographical focus is the two most-populous cities of Australia and New Zealand: Auckland, Melbourne, Sydney and Wellington. There are three phases of the project, with more detail included below.

To anyone who has taken part in the project, your participation has made this project possible. Thank you.

More information about each part of the project is included below.

Should you have any questions about the Who needs nature? study, please contact Lucy Taylor at the University of Sydney.

Park Surveys

• November 2015-January 2016
• General information sheet

The park surveys involve taking ecological surveys and asking park visitors about their experience in the park.

Two researchers may approach you in a park in Auckland, Melbourne, Sydney and Wellington to ask for your participation. The very short questionnaire for park visitors takes between 30 seconds and 3 minutes to complete. Thank you to everyone who agrees to participate.

Surveys are still underway, but after a handful of park visits in Sydney, this word cloud (right) provides an indication of how some people have described how being in the park makes them feel.

Focus Groups

• September 2014
• General information sheet

The focus groups involved gathering more information from the web survey participants who volunteered to be involved. They were really interesting and inspiring sessions of facilitated discussion about how people respond to nature in their urban environments.

Results are still being analysed, but the researchers are enjoying coding the focus groups as participants shared many thought-provoking stories and posed interesting ideas.

Web Survey

• November 2013-April 2014
• General information sheet
• Taylor, L. & Hochuli, D.F. (2015) Linking human wellbeing
  and nature in cities, Poster presented at the 2015 Annual Conference of the Ecological Society of Australia; 2015, 29 November-3 December; Adelaide, Australia.

The anonymous web survey was available for 6 months and open to any adult (18+) residents of the study cities (Auckland, Melbourne, Sydney and Wellington). If you completed the survey, thank you!