Nature-based Integration: Connecting Communities with/in Nature (2022-24)

Nature-based integration is an innovative concept
that leverages the restorative and inclusive
potential of natural environments—parks,
rivers, woodlands—to facilitate the process of
social integration of migrants and new arrivals.
By fostering connections through community
bonding and resilience-building activities, naturebased integration seeks to enhance migrants'
relationships with their new environments.
This report synthesises the empirical
research and data collected as part of the Nuffield
and British-Academy-funded project 'Naturebased integration: connecting people with/in
nature'. The project was aimed at investigating
how natural settings can be harnessed to cultivate
inclusive, cohesive communities. Our approach to
exploring nature-based integration engaged with
both and long-standing community members and
recognised the vital role that natural spaces play
in promoting community cohesion and resilience.
The project was rooted in the urgent need
for effective, inclusive integration strategies,
a need made more acute by socio-political
tensions, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,
and deepening inequalities. Traditional
integration policies often neglect the potential of
natural environments. This study addresses this
oversight by linking robust empirical findings with
existing research to explain the role of natural
settings in fostering inclusive communities.