By Beca
April 2025

As our lives go by, many of us spend them thinking about where our next adventure will be or

what it will look like. We rush through our routines, and not built for the pace of modern life, we

often find ourselves dreaming of getting away. It's not uncommon to hear people speak

longingly about taking a break and the benefits of spending time in nature reconnecting with the

environment. While these kinds of escapes can be constructive and even necessary at times, I

believe that learning to recognize this space within our everyday lives lies at the core of more

lasting and meaningful connections with the world around us. We don’t need to escape our lives

to feel connected to nature; by becoming aware of our surroundings, this appreciation can

become part of our daily experience. I consider this to be the first step to both personal

fulfillment and ecological responsibility.

 

As we move from one space to another, it’s easy to walk past a blooming flower, turn a deaf ear

to a bird song or dismiss the rustling leaves in the wind. Even throughout the busiest day,

there’s plenty of moments where we can find some space and stillness. This doesn’t require

changing our lifestyle, but shifting the focus of our attention. If we let our minds be busy with

what we are doing next or where we are heading to, we rarely notice what is actually happening

around us. By purposefully directing our attention, we cultivate a more mindful way of moving

through our day. I have found this to be particularly valuable during familiar routines — walking

the same route to class or going past known streets. Not needing to pay attention to directions, I

tend to switch to autopilot, and those experiences become empty transitions that fill the

unproductive gaps of my day. However, when I pay active attention to what’s around me, I begin

to register details and novelties in what initially seemed repetitive; small seasonal changes, the

presence of new wildlife, or even a bird that meets me everyday in a particular street. This

conscious attentiveness transforms a habitual space into a dynamic and enriching experience.

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This transition, from seeing our surroundings as static to recognizing them as ecologically active

spaces, greatly impacts our sense of environmental responsibility. Simply knowing what is

around us changes how much we value it. One of the most challenging issues in conservation is

the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ problem. If people don’t realise there’s a loss in biodiversity, they

are less likely to care about it. Biodiversity literacy, however, is not widespread among the

population. Many people can’t name local birds or trees, which makes it harder to develop

awareness in ecology. This is where initiatives like the Biodiversity Literacy VIP at St Andrews

become especially relevant. Among the many components of the project, one of the most

fundamental is learning to identify the living systems around us. The act of noticing is not

passive, and in doing so, we build a relationship with the natural world. By paying more attention

to species, habitats and their interactions, we learn to identify patterns and develop a sense of

awareness that modifies the way we interact and care about our surroundings. After all, we are

more likely to protect what we know and appreciate.

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Biodiversity literacy is therefore not just facts, but awareness of living systems and their

interactions. This is where environmental action begins. Species recognition allows for greater

awareness and deeper noticing of our surroundings. In time, this attention often develops into

care and understanding, forming the basis for both the motivation and the capacity to take

action. As someone who has always been drawn to nature and curious about it, I have also

experienced a significant shift in the way I experience being outside. It has become increasingly

natural to observe what is around me beyond a beautiful scenery. Familiar plants, birds andpatterns now act as reference points in my walks and outdoor pursuits. I have begun to look at

things that I didn’t pay attention to before, and my routes feel much more meaningful now that I

can actively recognize what’s around me.

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Above all, biodiversity literacy allows us to include this awareness in our everyday life. We can’t

always take a week off to travel to some paradisiac destination where we can ‘disconnect’, but

we can choose to look around us as we walk down the street to the supermarket. What’s

important is that we can access this connection wherever we are — we just have to make the

choice to look and listen. A familiar walk might be where we first notice the first signs of a new

season, a bird call that we hadn’t heard before, or a new species that has just made its way to

town. These may seem small and insignificant findings, but they have a great impact on the way

we move around the world. We accumulate these observations and develop a sense of

connection, not to just nature in general, but also to a particular place that we experience over

time. When we then move on to a different place, we notice what changes, but also the things

that stay the same. We become equipped with reference points that help us understand the

spaces we inhabit, and that enable us to draw relations between new places and those we

already know. Familiarity with the environment adds layers of meaning to our surroundings, and

helps us see how dynamic and special each ecosystem is. In a time when environmental issues

can feel a bit overwhelming and abstract, this everyday relationship with nature gives us a

starting point and direction.

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Becoming aware of our surroundings can therefore help us increase both our wellbeing and our

relationship with the environment. These moments of connection are always within reach; we

don’t need to escape to reconnect, but simply pay attention to what’s already around us.