“In the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we have been taught.”
Baba Dioum (1968)
Research indicates that ecological knowledge acquisition in the United Kingdom is slowing and with young people becoming less connected to their environment and less engaged in societal issues, it begs the question - what are the implications for the future security of our environment?
It would seem that current teaching methods of formal education alongside the influences of the media are contributing to the current pattern of loss of local ecological knowledge in younger generations, with the implications for future generations as yet unknown. It is feared that a future ecologically illiterate and unengaged society will not be able to cope with the environmental challenges they are faced with.
Research is currently being carried out at the University of Essex to identify the key driving factors behind engagement with environmental issues for both young people and society as a whole. This research explores the linkages between childhood connection with the natural environment and the long term resultant influences on life course, behaviour and attitudes in terms of environmental outcomes.
For more information please contact Madeline Bain
mbain@essex.ac.uk
