The Anthropocene, Nature-Based Security and Mental Well-Being

Traditional human security thinking sees nature either as a direct threat to human well-being or as a threat resulting from human action, as is the case of pollution or climate change. Protection against threats has been a major concern of human security thinking, yet that thinking has not examined the positive role nature can play in mitigating threats or promoting well-being. This paper asks whether the concept of nature-based human development adds a useful lens through which to advance human development thinking, and whether nature-based human development provides a more productive way of understanding Anthropocene-linked disasters, mental well-being and possible nature-based solutions. The paper opens with a brief discussion of human security and its relationship to disasters before turning to the concept of nature-based human development. Here, the concept of nature-based security is introduced, paying particular attention to mental well-being as exemplified in the United Kingdom, where during COVID-19, nature played an important role in providing safety and freedom from danger, fear and anxiety, if only for a limited time. It is argued that relatedness to nature should be seen as part of the ‘vital core’, and hence, there should be corresponding rights—we have a right to nature.