The Renewing Biodiversity Longitudinal Survey (ReBLS) | Exploring how individual attitudes to nature change over time

Research team

—

Lewis Elliott – University of Exeter

Rebecca Lovell – University of Exeter

Jo Garrett – University of Exeter

Fredie Poznansky, University of Exeter

Jen Weston, University of Exeter

Craig McDougall, University of Exeter

Ali Gardner, University of Exeter

Kevin Gaston – University of Exeter

Fraenze Kibowski – Natural England

Amy Greenwood, Natural England

Partners

—

—

Aims

The objectives of ReBLS are:

1. To determine whether environmental attitudes, behaviours, health, and wellbeing are changing, particularly for people with high exposure to natural spaces and biodiversity renewal
2. To better understand people’s personalised ecologies [1], perceptions of local biodiversity, and pro-biodiversity behaviours

Approach

The University of Exeter and Natural England have collaborated to develop a survey which launched in 2023 which examines the interconnections between people’s knowledge and perceptions of biodiversity, and their environmental attitudes, behaviours health and well-being. It’s delivered to a national sample of the English adult population where the same people are asked every year about these issues to examine how experiences of biodiversity are changing, and the consequences this might have. We also place a heavy focus on the experiences of rural population who until now have been relatively understudied in this regard. It’s the largest longitudinal survey of its kind in England, with 18,000 people surveyed in the first year of data collection. You can read in more detail about the survey in our publication.

Above: “The ReBLS survey will be the UK’s largest longitudinal study to examine how biodiversity renewal activities are experienced” Images: David Griffiths – Unsplash

Latest Results

Headline results from Year 1 include:

1. • In Year 1, 18,590 people were surveyed in the main sample, nearly 11,000 were from rural areas.
   • The majority of people had favourable attitudes towards spending time in nature – in general scoring 8/10 or more regarding how important, exciting, and pleasant they found spending time in nature.
   • Approximately 70% report strongly caring for nature (8/10 or more), but a more modest proportion think that others who they know care similarly.
   • The majority of people believe there will be less variety of life in their local area, and in England, within the next 10 years.
   • Most actions to benefit nature are strongly supported – including stricter regulation of house building, animal reintroductions, and converting some farmland to areas for nature. Others, including the culling of particular species to benefit others, and increasing restrictions of people receive more equivocal support.

Next Steps

We are working on more complex analysis to answer the following questions:

• • • Who supports what biodiversity renewal policies? Are there spatial and demographic patterns of support?
    • What social, environmental, and spatial characteristics influence the number and variety of species which people perceive in their neighbourhoods?
    • Do shifts in behaviour and perceptions of nature influence nature connectedness over time?
    • Can our data help us understand ‘personalised ecology’ more broadly and what drives this?

Further analysis will also address policy questions of interest from Natural England and the National Trust.

Data collection will continue until autumn/winter 2026. Keep an eye on the publications page for academic publications results from this effort, and this page will be regularly updated as we begin to understand more about our findings.

Impact

Analysis of Natural England’s People and Nature survey, and its precursor the Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment (MENE), by researchers at the University of Exeter has been incredibly powerful in revealing the links between nature and our environmental attitudes and wellbeing and has helped inform a variety of policies.

ReBLS is advancing our understanding of, if, and how access and engagement with nature and biodiversity renewal work affects individual outcomes, such as pro-environmental attitudes, behaviours and outdoor activity levels, and well-being.

This data will be relevant to decision-makers in environmental organisations such as Natural England and Defra, helping to inform the assessment of progress against the Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan.

“This partnership between RENEW and Natural England is hugely beneficial, bringing together research expertise and capacity from the RENEW project and the important needs of environmental organisations like Natural England to better assess the impact of nature recovery work. The ReBLS project is a positive step towards evidence-based and collaborative working for Natural England. We hope that the project will provide essential development and testing of evaluation methods to inform long-term monitoring of key nature renewal initiatives on the ground.”

Ruth Lamont, Senior Specialist – Social Science, Natural England

—