Ally Fraser

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Ally Fraser
Ally Fraser

She/Her/Hers/Herself

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School of Psychology,
Swansea University

Lead supervisor:
Dr Amy Isham

Other supervisor(s):

  • Dr Jennifer Gatzemeier

Start date: October 2023 (Part time)

Award: General

Subject Pathway:
Psychology

Thematic Cluster:
Language, Learning and Behaviour Cluster

Exploring the impact of foraging as a nature-based activity on sustainable wellbeing

There is a pressing need to identify activities that can be incorporated into everyday lifestyles that simultaneously promote human and ecological wellbeing (Isham & Jackson, 2022). Nature-based activities are one such example being increasingly recognised as a useful engagement tool across several disciplines from medicine and health to urban planning (Shanahan et al., 2019). Recreational foraging is one such activity that is acquiring renewed popularity globally through its nutritional and cultural roots (Stryamets et al., 2015). Foraging is the practice of collecting plants, fungi and other natural resources for food, medicine, crafts and other purposes for both personal use and sale (Shackleton et al., 2017). It is a popular leisure activity in the UK and is deeply rooted in British culture through its connections to the local landscape, nature connection, family traditions and access to non-market food (Łuczaj et al., 2021). In recent decades, in certain communities experiencing a heightened sense of disconnect from nature foraging has experienced a revival of sorts, as people seek sustainable, local, and nature-connected ways of living (Harris, 2024). An emerging but limited body of recreational foraging studies have demonstrated several personal, community and ecological wellbeing benefits derived through ecosystem services, place attachment and nature connection (Schunko & Brandner, 2021). Ally’s PhD builds on this initial literature to explore the potential to use recreational foraging activities as part of a community-based lifestyle intervention to harness potential benefits associated with recreational foraging and explores implications for issues such as land access, risk, nature connection, nutrition, community development and holistic green healthcare.

Research Impact

The UK government has called for the development and implementation of structured nature-based interventions which are increasingly recognised for their potential to foster human-nature connections whilst simultaneously addressing interconnected planetary challenges (HM Government, 2018; Lumber et al., 2017). Recreational foraging is presented in this PhD thesis as one such potential activity that is acquiring renewed popularity drawing on its accessibility, cultural roots and opportunities for fostering human-nature interactions (Stryamets et al., 2015). Local organisations are reporting that organised foraging activities may be anecdotally achieving desired outcomes across personal, community and environmental domains (Woodland Trust, 2018). However, the impacts of recreational foraging through empirical research remains limited and conceptually underdeveloped (Hartfiel et al., 2023). Therefore, this PhD aims to provide the initial basis for exploring the potential to introduce recreational foraging as a nature-based activity within structured interventions in Wales from concept to implementation. 

 

Bibliography

Gallois, S., & Henry, A. G. (2021). The cost of gathering among the Baka forager-horticulturalists from southeastern Cameroon. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 9, 768003. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.768003

Harris, H. (2024). Experience foraging: Connecting with nature and each other through foraging field courses in Kent, England. In S. Dhyani & M. Sardeshpande (Eds.), Urban foraging in the changing world(pp. 27–44). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-0345-6_3

Hartfiel, N., Gittins, H., Morrison, V., Wynne-Jones, S., Dandy, N., & Edwards, R. T. (2023). Social Return on Investment of Nature-Based Activities for Adults with Mental Wellbeing Challenges. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(15), 6500. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20156500

HM Government. (2018). HM Government. A Green Future: Our 25 Year Plan to Improve the Environment Annex 1: Supplementary Evidence Report. In HM Government (pp. 1–145). HM Government. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/673492/25-year-environment-plan-annex1.pdf

Łuczaj, Ł., Wilde, M., & Townsend, L. (2021). The ethnobiology of contemporary British foragers: Foods they teach, their sources of inspiration and impact. Sustainability, 13(6), Article 3478. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063478

Lumber, R., Richardson, M., & Sheffield, D. (2017). Beyond knowing nature: Contact, emotion, compassion, meaning, and beauty are pathways to nature connection. PLOS ONE, 12(5), e0177186. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0177186

Schunko, C., & Brandner, A. (2021). Urban nature at the fingertips: Investigating wild food foraging to enable nature interactions of urban dwellers. Ambio. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-021-01648-1

Shackleton, C. M., Hurley, P. T., Dahlberg, A. C., Emery, M. R., & Nagendra, H. (2017). Urban Foraging: A Ubiquitous Human Practice Overlooked by Urban Planners, Policy, and Research. Sustainability, 9(10), 1884. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9101884

Stryamets, N., Elbakidze, M., Ceuterick, M., Angelstam, P., & Axelsson, R. (2015). From economic survival to recreation: Contemporary uses of wild food and medicine in rural Sweden, Ukraine and NW Russia. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-015-0036-0

Woodland Trust. (2018, January 16). Foraging: What to look out for each month. https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/things-to-do/foraging/

 

Biography

Ally is an interdisciplinary scientist working on community research at the interconnections of the environment and society. She has extensive experience working with mixed and creative methods to address personal, community and planetary challenges. This has led her to work within the academic and third sector across several different disciplines engaging with different communities, organisations as well as national and local governments. She is currently completing a PhD at Swansea University in environmental psychology where her research focuses on exploring the impacts of foraging as a nature-based activity on sustainable wellbeing. Alongside her part-time studies she is also a community engagement officer at the Environment Centre, Swansea encouraging local communities to take climate action. Together these direct her passion for providing and promoting holistic solutions for personal, community and planetary challenges facing society today.