On Nature Quotient

Quan-Hoang Vuong; Minh-Hoang Nguyen

doi:10.1071/PC25028

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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On Nature Quotient

Quan-Hoang Vuong ^A ^B and Minh-Hoang Nguyen

^A ^*

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Centre for Interdisciplinary Social Research, Phenikaa University, Hanoi, Vietnam.

^B University College, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul 02841, South Korea.

^* Correspondence to: hoang.nguyenminh@phenikaa-uni.edu.vn

Handling Editor: Graham Fulton

Pacific Conservation Biology 31, PC25028 https://doi.org/10.1071/PC25028

Submitted: 8 April 2025 Accepted: 12 August 2025 Published: 28 August 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

In response to escalating environmental crises, we introduce Nature Quotient (NQ) as a distinct, essential form of intelligence that enables humans to comprehend, adapt to and harmonize with complex natural systems. Grounded in Granular Interaction Thinking Theory, NQ is defined as the capacity to perceive, process and organize information about ecological interconnections – thereby fostering deeper ecological consciousness and guiding sustainable behavior. We posit that cultivating high NQ can counteract the anthropocentric biases inherent in conventional intelligence models and catalyze a sociocultural shift from an eco-deficit paradigm to an eco-surplus culture. The conceptualization of NQ opens promising directions for interdisciplinary research, environmental education and policy-making aimed at biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and ecological resilience. Developing robust theoretical and empirical tools to measure NQ remains an urgent, necessary endeavor.

Keywords: Anthropocene, biodiversity conservation, climate change, ecological intelligence, eco-surplus culture, environmental sustainability, human-nature interactions, humility, Nature Quotient, NQ, plausible reasoning, serendipity.

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