Cultural Ecology and Environmental Education

ABSTRACT:

Resource depletion, environmental degradation, and related problems are not simply the results of technology and economy. The underlying cause is the collective behavior of individuals in a society, behavior that is predominantly cultural. Cultural ecology can contribute to environmental science and education as well as to the solution of environmental problems by providing concrete case studies that demonstrate the importance of the cultural factor and by providing a broader cross-cultural and diachronic perspective on human-environment interactions and environmental problems. After a brief survey of various ecological approaches in anthropology, cultural ecology is reviewed with particular attention to concepts, methods, resources, and relevance for teaching this subject in environmental studies.