Book description
This textbook introduces the reader to the new and emerging field of
Conservation Psychology, which explores connections between the study of
human behavior and the achievement of conservation goals.
People are often cast as villains in the story of environmental
degradation, seen primarily as a threat to healthy ecosystems and an
obstacle to conservation. But humans are inseparable from natural
ecosystems. Understanding how people think about, experience, and
interact with nature is crucial for promoting environmental
sustainability as well as human well-being.
The book first summarizes theory and research on human cognitive,
emotional, and behavioral responses to nature and goes on to review
research on people's experience of nature in wild, managed, and urban
settings. Finally, it examines ways to encourage conservation-oriented
behavior at both individual and societal levels. Throughout, the authors
integrate a wide body of published literature to demonstrate how and why
psychology is relevant to promoting a more sustainable relationship
between humans and nature. Susan Clayton
is a professor of social psychology at the College of Wooster. Her
research aims to understand the ways in which people relate to nature,
as well as to investigate broader issues of identity and justice. She is
a past president of the Society for Population and Environmental Psychology.
Olin Eugene (Gene) Myers Jr. is Associate Professor at Huxley
College of the Environment at Western Washington University, where he
offers courses in conservation psychology, human ecology,
environmental ethics, and is extensively involved in undergraduate and
graduate programs in environmental education. His research interests
are wide-ranging and include psychology and anthrozoology as applied
to conservation.
