This study applied concepts and methodologies commonly used to determine home range size and habitat use in wildlife to children's independent movements. Range size is of concern because it impacts the extent and quality of opportunities for children to connect with nature. A child's home range, as defined in this paper, is the area which envelopes the child's most used spaces, with use being independent of an accompanying adult. Previous research has documented the decline in the range of children's independent mobility, but few – if any -- have specifically studied the impact of this change in behavior on opportunities to connect with nature.
This research analyzed interview responses of 178 children (ages 9-11) living in three different New Zealand cities. During the one-on-one interviews, children identified places around their homes that they visited independently or with peers. They also answered open-ended questions relating to their perception of their neighborhoods, about how they get to school, and about any restrictions placed on them regarding their independent movements. Other aspects of this study included an assessment of how much biodiversity is available and accessible at both the nearby-neighborhood (i.e., 500-meter radius around the child's home) and home range scale. Biodiversity values were based on species and feature richness, vegetation structure and complexity, and degree of wildness. Accessible areas included all areas within the boundary that the child was allowed to visit independently.
Findings indicated that children's home ranges occupy less than 3 hectares of accessible space. While nearby neighborhoods often included biodiverse areas, restrictions on children's home range kept many of them from accessing these natural areas. In other words, while biodiversity was present, it was not accessible to the children. Children's independent mobility and thus their access to biodiverse areas was determined primarily by parental restrictions. Due to their limited home range, children's engagement with nature occurred primarily in private gardens and formal greenspaces. Urban planning approaches, however, tend to promote dense residential developments with public rather than private greenspace. Also of concern is the fact that the biodiverse value of private gardens is often linked to socioeconomic status, resulting in social inequalities in access to nature.
This study shows that, except for occasional long trips, children spend most of their outdoor time in a very confined area close to home, even when they have access to woodland, vacant land and recreational green habitats. These restricted home ranges limit children's opportunities to connect with nature, which plays an important role in promoting their well-being and the development of a diversity of skills.
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