Virtual Seminar: COVID and Nature Connection

Recently, the PANA committee met (virtually) and discussed what we would like to do for our next PANA-wide workshop given the current situation with COVID-19. Obviously, we cannot organise a get together given the current pandemic; however, we did discuss the possibility of holding an online seminar using Zoom or similar software.

Moreover, given these troubling times and the fact many people are stuck indoors, we have decided the theme of this seminar will be Connecting with nature during COVID-19: How people can maintain physical and emotional relationships with the natural world despite social-distancing measures.

We would like to host 6 online presentations based on  this topic with a particular focus on talks that might suggest pathways for how people can connect with nature during the ongoing pandemic. Additionally, we would like to take the key messages from these presentations and our group discussion, and produce a simple advice document. This document would be targeted at local government, health practitioners, and e-NGO’s, and would aim to provide a consistent set of messages and advice for how people can build and maintain relationships with nature when movement is constrained


UPDATE

Webinar will be held on Thursday 11ths of June at 3:30pm via Zoom.

Program

Opening talk

  • Communicating about nature during COVID – Emily Gregg
Experiencing nature
  • Re-Imagining Nature – Georgina Reid
  • Mindful engagement with nearby nature: staying connected with nature during a pandemic – Rose Macaulay
Technology and nature
  • Nature connection and digital technologies? Insights from citizen science literature – Debbie Gonzalez Canada
  • Using Virtual Nature to Cope with Social Distancing – Tristan Snell & Navjot Bhullar
  • Social Media and Animal Photos- The Internet Connection – Meghan Shaw
Programs and initiatives
  • Lonely Conservationists- Isolated beyond the pandemic – Jessie Panazzolo
  • Victoria’s COVID-Safe Virtual Nature Festival: science, policy & people – Fern Hames

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