Differences in Environmental Identity, Nature Connectedness, and Well-Being Among Rural and Indigenous Populations in Southern Colombia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18800/kawsaypacha.202601.A004Keywords:
Nature connectedness, Environmental Identity, Rural population, Indigenous communityAbstract
The relationship between humans and nature has generated a growing interest in recent years, particularly in rural context where daily dynamics are intertwined with productive, symbolic, and cultural dimensions. However, this connection varies according to cultural, historical, and social particularities. In non-indigenous settler communities, the relationship with nature tends to be transactional and pragmatic, whereas Indigenous communities uphold an ancestral worldview that integrates the physical, spiritual, and collective realms. This study aims to: i) identify whether significant differences exist in well-being, nature connectedness, and environmental identity between a sample of Indigenous reservation inhabitants and non-Indigenous rural residents in southern Colombia; and ii) analyze how these variables form networks base on group-specific characteristics. The results reveal comparable values for both populations, with slightly higher scores among Indigenous participants —though not at maximum levels— potentially reflecting processes of cultural erosion and socio-environmental conflicts in the region. We conclude that while both Indigenous and non-Indigenous rural populations exhibit similar levels of nature connectedness and social well-being, they demonstrate lower levels of environmental identity and psychological/emotional well-being. Notably, social well-being emerges as the most central variable in network analyses for Indigenous participants, whereas individual psychological well-being holds greater strength for non-Indigenous rural inhabitants. Further research is needed to validate these trends.
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