TV doctor Amir Khan has recently become president of the RSPB, but what does the role entail? Annabel Ross meets him to find out – and discovers how closely our health is related to time spent in nature
It’s easy to see why the RSPB chose Dr Amir Khan as their new president. He is so enthusiastic about being out in nature, and if he can manage it on a regular basis then so can we – he has more commitments than anyone I’ve ever met. Dr Khan is first and foremost a full-time GP, but also manages to be a regular guest on two daytime television programmes, he has published a book, he lectures at Leeds and Bradford universities and is vice-president of the Wildlife Trusts, as well as various other roles in supporting British wildlife.
It’s clear that Khan is passionate about the health benefits of being out in nature and wants everyone to be able to experience it, whether you live in the inner city or the countryside. We recently met for a walk around Golden Acre Park, not far from his home in Leeds.
Where did your love of nature come from?
“It came from my dad, who’s not with us anymore. He was really interested in wildlife. We didn’t have a garden growing up, we grew up in the centre of Bradford. He was a bus driver, so he worked full time as well. But when he came home, the only television programmes he watched were nature documentaries. And that kind of spurred me on to watch them as well. Then he got poorly when I was quite young. We used to, when he was well enough, go out to parks like this and look at nature. But when he wasn’t well enough, I would go out and then tell him about what I’d seen. And that connection was really nice – it was really special. When he passed away, it was something I liked to continue because it reminded me of him and it still does.
“But actually, when going into medicine and learning about the science of the benefits of spending time in nature, that kind of galvanised all of that.”
“Being in natural light affects our circadian rhythm… and that in itself will help us sleep better”
Are you saying that when you were learning medicine, you also learned about the importance of being outside in nature for our health? Was that on the curriculum?
“It’s not on the curriculum, no, but what I knew was, from my own experience, I felt better for being outside. So beyond what I was learning at medical school about the conventional kind of medicine that we practice today, which is really important and correct, in my own time I was learning the science around what physiological changes go on inside of us when we spend time in nature, why we feel better for it.
We’re often told that we must get out into nature because it’s really good for us. But what is actually happening to us when we spend time outside?
“So, in evolutionary terms it makes sense: way back when our ancestors were looking for places to settle, being around birdsong suggested that these were safer areas, that there weren’t many predators around because if those kinds of animals can settle there, it’s a safer place for us to settle. But actually, our physiological bodies and things that go on inside of us are tuned into nature as well. Being in natural light outside affects our circadian rhythm, which is our internal body clock, and that in itself will help us sleep. So the more natural light you get through the day, the better tuned into the day and night cycles your body is, and the better sleep you’ll get.
“When we’re outside, one of the hormones in our blood called cortisol – our stress hormone – will be lowering because the chemicals that are given off by plants trigger that lowering of our cortisol levels. So that brings our heart rate down, it brings our blood pressure down and we automatically feel calmer. But, also our brain chemicals – dopamine and serotonin – go up when we’re in nature, so we start to feel happier, too, and safer. And that is why we like to spend time out here.”
Is just a walk around the block enough to benefit your health and wellbeing?
“Any nature is good for you, but what the studies have shown is that spending two hours or more in nature a week is probably what’s going to get you those beneficial effects.
“But I find that’s a little bit too prescriptive. Anything is better than nothing, and those physiological changes will take place. You just have to go out there and look at nature and immerse yourself in it. And I think that’s the key. It’s not just a case of, we’ll go for a walk and talk – we need to really immerse ourselves in nature. Listen to the birdsong, be aware of the plants that are growing around you, the leaves on the trees. It’s about being mindful in nature, and that is when you really start to get the health benefits.
“And one thing I always say, if I’m going out in nature with my friends, is no phones, absolutely no phones. You’ve got to be present in that moment.”
One of your aims is to get people who are living in city centres better access to nature. How are you trying to achieve that?
“This is really important for me because I know, having grown up in the same area where I work now, I know the challenges faced by inner-city people, particularly in places like Bradford, which is socially deprived. If I say to someone, actually, if you spend time in green spaces, you’ll feel better, they’ll say: ‘Well, I have to get two buses to get to a green space, and I don’t have the money for that all the time’. So the key is bringing green spaces to them and clearing up some areas within the inner cities, even if it’s just a tiny corner, turning it green and involving the community in that.
“If our nature depletes any further, our health will deteriorate… something we just can’t afford”
“I’ve worked with the RSPB and the Wildlife Trusts in trying to get nature into inner city areas. And that could be just converting grass verges – which, in some parts of Bradford might be filled with mattresses and old sofas – moving them, planting some wildflower seeds, and just having a little bit of a walkway for when people come out of their houses who don’t have gardens can have access to some of that green space. And I think that’s what we’ve got to invest more in, green spaces in inner-city areas. When I come to London for work it’s full of lovely little green pockets. But that’s not true for every city, particularly a lot of the northern cities. And that’s what we’ve got to change.”
What does your role as president of the RSPB entail?
“Some of it is advisory, so talking about any policies that are coming out and how they may be adapted to suit everyone. Because I feel like I’m on the ground level and I know what might appeal to my patients and what won’t, for example, and what issues are important to them.
“Of course there’s a lot of campaigning. Particularly now, the RSPB is really passionate about making sure our nature laws remain protected going forward. They’re doing a lot of work on that and that is something I’m really keen to see. Because if our nature depletes any further, our health will deteriorate and that will affect my patients and that’s something we just can’t afford.
“One of the things I talk a lot about with my work with the RSPB is widening access to nature, and making sure everybody feels included in the nature space. That hasn’t always been the case – Ican say that as a person from a historically marginalised group of people. My mum, if I take her out, she’s going to go out in her full Asian gear, shalwar kameez – she’s very visibly proud to be Asian. She’ll get the right walking boots – well, I have to buy her the right walking boots – but she has them on. She’s a trailblazer and I’m really proud of that. And it’s for her own good, because she’s getting older now and getting mobile is really important. Hopefully, the two of us together out walking in nature might make someone else feel more comfortable about being out there, too.”
What do you think your dad would have said about your role at the RSPB?
“I don’t think he would have believed it to be honest; I can’t quite believe it myself. I think he’d be proud. You know, it’s a big deal for me to be the president of the RSPB. I play it down, but it is a really big deal because it’s a huge organisation. It’s an important organisation globally. And being the president is something I never thought I’d do, but it’s a proud moment for me, and I know he’d be proud.”
BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast
Listen to Annabel’s podcast with Dr Amir Khan; visit iTunes or acast.com/bbccountryfilemagazine
Annabel Ross is a writer on food and health issues.
She is also a regular contributor to the Plodcast – the nature and countryside podcast from BBC Countryfile Magazine.