Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder

We conducted a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed research studies published between 1999 and 2010 that empirically evaluated the outcomes of environmental education (EE) programs for youth (ages 18 and younger) in an attempt to address the following objectives: (1) to seek reported empirical evidence for what works (or does not) in EE programming and (2) to uncover lessons regarding promising approaches for future EE initiatives and their evaluation. While the review generally supports consensus-based best practices, such as those published in the North American Association for Environmental Education’s Guidelines for Excellence, we also identified additional themes that may drive positive outcomes, including the provision of holistic experiences and the characteristics and delivery styles of environmental educators. Overall, the evidence in support of these themes contained in the 66 articles reviewed is mostly circumstantial. Few studies attempted to empirically isolate the characteristics of programs responsible for measured outcomes. We discuss general trends in research design and the associated implications for future research and EE programming.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13504622.2013.838749

Environmental education program evaluation in the new millennium: what do we measure and what have we learned?

by Mark Elvin, Yale University Press, New Haven, CT and London, 2004, pages xxviii + 564, ISBN: 9780300101119 There has sadly become established a habit of public praise by those who know an author...

The Retreat of the Elephants: An Environmental History of China

Biodiversity loss is happening at an unprecedented rate, especially in countries like Vietnam, with rich biodiversity and a high population growth rate. One of the main causes of biodiversity loss in Vietnam is the unsustainable bushmeat consumption rate in urban areas. To help mitigate the demand for bushmeat, this study aims to examine the associations between biodiversity loss perceptions, perception toward the prohibition of illegal wildlife consumption, and bushmeat consumption behaviors among urban residents in Vietnam. The investigation employed the Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF)—an analytical framework that combines the strengths of the mindsponge mechanism and Bayesian inference to facilitate investigation into psychological and behavioral issues—on 535 respondents from urban areas across Vietnam (mostly in the two urban centers of Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi). We found that people perceiving environmental degradation, and losses of economic growth, nature-based recreation opportunities, health, and knowledge as consequences of biodiversity loss were more likely to support the prohibition of illegal wildlife consumption. Although urban residents tended to consume bushmeat less frequently if they perceived losses of economic growth and knowledge as consequences of biodiversity loss, the perception of environmental degradation had an opposite effect on the behavior. Additionally, people consuming bushmeat frequently and supporting the biodiversity loss preventive measure seemed to share similar features: high income and educational levels. These paradoxical results hint at the cultural additivity phenomenon—the willingness to incorporate into one's mind the new values that might or might not logically contradict their existing core cultural values—and its influence on psychology and behavior among Vietnamese urban residents. Given the influence of cultural additivity, it is recommended to put tougher measures (e.g., financial punishment) into perspective so that urban people can recognize the high “cost” of bushmeat consumption and change their perceptions and behaviors accordingly. Apart from that, social marketing, demarketing, or educational campaigns should convey knowledge and information that can help receivers relate biodiversity loss and bushmeat consumption to their subjective cost-benefit judgments rather than the rarity of the species to avoid triggering an anthropogenic Allee effect—for example, emphasizing the penalty for consuming bushmeat and negative impacts of biodiversity loss on humans in targeted campaigns (e.g., losses of economic growth and knowledge). 

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/csp2.12822

Predictors of support for biodiversity loss countermeasure and bushmeat consumption among Vietnamese urban residents

Animal conservation organisations occasionally harness depictions of animals using digital technology to inspire interest in, and concern for animals. To better understand the forms of empathy experienced by people observing animal-computer interaction, we designed and studied an interactive installation for orangutans at a zoo. Through collaborative design we established an understanding of zoos' objectives and strategies related to empathy in the zoo context. We deployed a prototype installation, and observed and interviewed visitors who watched orangutans use the installation. Analysis of observations and interviews revealed that visitors responded with cognitive, affective and motor empathy for the animals. We propose that these empathetic responses are prompted by the visibility of orangutans' bodily movements, by the "anthropic frame" provided by digital technology, and by prompting reflection on animals' cognitive processes and affective states. This paper contributes new evidence and understanding of people's empathetic responses to observing animal-computer interaction and confirms the value of designing for empathy in its various forms

Kinecting with Orangutans: Zoo Visitors' Empathetic Responses to Animals' Use of Interactive Technology

This summative evaluation, conducted in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, studied whether participation in a conservation education camp positively changed 8–12-year-old children's (a) knowledge of how to protect animals, (b) care about animals, (c) propensity for environmental and wildlife stewardship, and (d) compassionate behavior toward animals and nature. Influenced by conservation psychology, social learning theory, empathy and moral development, constructivism, and conservation biology, 5-day overnight camps were conducted at 2 zoological institutions. Activities were designed to help children form bonds with animals and care enough to positively change their behavior toward animals and nature. Mixed methods, using pre- and postvisit surveys, researcher field notes, vignettes, student journals, an end of camp questionnaire, and a camper behavior ethogram, revealed significant increases in knowledge, care, and propensity for action, and an additional theme, empathy. This study identified ef...

/pdf/the-effects-of-a-summer-camp-program-in-china-on-children-s-13ueu01stk.pdf

The Effects of a Summer Camp Program in China on Children's Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors Toward Animals: A Model for Conservation Education

The wildlife trade poses substantial threats to global biodiversity. China is a significant source of threatened species and also a market for wildlife products. Zoological parks (zoos), which are a popular leisure attraction in China as elsewhere, are increasingly conceptualized as places to educate visitors about both animals and environmental threats more generally. This paper reports on an attempt to inform Chinese zoo visitors about the threats presented by the wildlife trade, and about the opportunity to take personal actions to help protect wildlife. Results from a baseline survey of attitudes among 524 adult visitors to animal exhibits in Chengdu, China showed a high degree of concern about wildlife paired with a lack of confidence about what could be done. A sense of connection to nature, along with a perception of personal efficacy, were the strongest predictors of concern about the wildlife trade. Based in part on these results, an informational exhibit was designed and implemented in two locations in Chengdu. A survey of 533 visitors to assess the impact of the new exhibit showed that connection and perceived efficacy continued to predict concern, and that talking about the exhibit was associated with increased knowledge and concern. Though causality cannot be definitively concluded, results suggest that zoos have the potential to influence attitudes and perceived norms regarding the wildlife trade. By affirming the importance of a feeling of connection, the findings indicate that animal facilities may have an important role in fostering the human relationship to the natural world.

Confronting the wildlife trade through public education at zoological institutions in Chengdu, P.R. China.

/pdf/fostering-humane-attitudes-toward-animals-an-educational-4iq94oy8f6.pdf

Fostering Humane Attitudes Toward Animals : An Educational Camp Experience in China

Humane education, animal welfare and conservation

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The Effects of a Summer Camp Program in China on Children's Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors Toward Animals: A Model for Conservation Education

Confronting the wildlife trade through public education at zoological institutions in Chengdu, P.R. China.

Fostering Humane Attitudes Toward Animals : An Educational Camp Experience in China

Humane education, animal welfare and conservation