How an app can make you fall in love with nature, with Melissa Harrison

There is a certain irony in how technology could be accused of being one of the causes of nature’s decline. And yet it is most likely technology that will save it. Much has been written about the big projects, but what of the little things, the day-to-day, the bird song, the flowers in the street or in the hedgerow?

It’s these little moments that allow us to ‘repair our connection to Nature’, according to the author and nature writer Melissa Harrison, who joins the Country Life Podcast this week.

Her new app, Encounter, is a free guided nature journal that will allow you to tune in to the world around you, and record your experiences.

'I’m always trying to connect new people to nature, which means meeting them where they are,’ says Ms Harrison. ‘Smartphones are now the most democratic way of disseminating information, but many existing apps assume a certain level of knowledge. There was nothing that felt friendly and accessible, and had the kind of local and seasonal focus that I believe is crucial.’

Melissa has long been in touch with the natural world. She is a prolific writer on the subject, having written three novels, two children’s books and diaries of her walks and her life in the countryside. 2016’s Rain was longlisted for the Wainwright Prize, while All Among the Barley won the European Union Prize for Literature in 2019. She also started a podcast called The Stubborn Light of Things during the 2020 Covid pandemic.

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Encounter is blacked up by science, too, with Melissa having worked with Miles Richardson, professor of human factors and nature connectedness at the University of Derby, to develop the app.

‘We know that keeping a record of the good things we experience in nature – even if it’s just a few words or photos a day—is one of the most powerful ways to improve our connection to nature, so I wanted to find a way to bring that possibility to everyone.’

You can listen wherever you get your podcasts and Encounter is available to download from the App Store or Google Play now.

Episode credits

• Host: James Fisher

• Guest: Melissa Harrison

• Producer and editor: Toby Keel

• Music: JuliusH via Pixabay