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Publication Date

5-2024

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about unprecedented changes in a short span of time to people’s life and living. Being in a lockdown, especially in urban areas, has led to changes in the way people perceive nature around them and within their homes. Research on this topic in the cities of the global south has been limited with even fewer studies in Indian cities. To begin to address this gap, in this exploratory study we interviewed 30 residents of Bengaluru, India to understand how they perceived the changes they experienced in their home gardens and in the nature around their neighborhood due to the 2021 Covid-19 lockdown. A common observation was that most respondents felt the lockdown had led to an increase in their curiosity and observation towards nature. Some respondents highlighted that their enthusiasm towards gardening had increased. Participants also recognized the importance of home gardens as a safe outdoor space where they can enjoy nature. However, there were a few respondents who mentioned that they did not observe any imminent changes in the environment around them, due to the lockdown. While the lockdown has implications on a global scale, further research is needed to assess the changes at local scale to understand the impacts on people and nature.

DOI

10.15365/cate.2024.170104

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