Kathmandu: Nepal has emerged as the world's most "nature-connected" nation, while Spain finds itself at the bottom in a recent study that measures emotional and psychological ties to the natural world. The Guardian reported these findings, highlighting the varying degrees of nature connectedness among 61 countries.

According to Anadolu Agency, the study, published in the journal Ambio, involved a survey of 57,000 individuals across these nations. It assessed how various social, cultural, economic, and geographic factors influence people's attitudes toward nature. The results showed that Spain ranked last among the surveyed countries, with the Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Israel, and Japan also scoring lower than Britain, which was positioned at 55th.

Nepal, leading the list, was followed by countries like Iran, South Africa, Bangladesh, and Nigeria. Notably, Croatia and Bulgaria were the only European nations to make it into the top 10, while France was the next-highest European country, securing the 19th spot. The research, conducted by a team of British and Austrian academics, including Miles Richardson, professor of nature connectedness at the University of Derby, pointed out that spirituality and religious faith were the strongest indicators of a close relationship with nature.

The study also revealed an interesting contrast: countries with higher rankings in "ease of doing business," a World Bank metric that reflects a market-friendly economy, tended to have a lower connection to nature. This correlation suggests that a business-friendly environment might be inversely related to the degree of nature connectedness among the population.