IN THIS ISSUE Conservation Psychology: Using Psychological Tools
to Address Environmental Challenges What is conservation
psychology? According to one definition, it is the scientific
study of the reciprocal relationships between humans and the
rest of nature, with the goal of encouraging conservation of the
natural world. A more interesting question might be why is
conservation psychology. Although this may be a more
sophisticated audience that understands the need, I still get
the question, "What does psychology have to do with
environmental challenges?" A simple answer: Psychology is about
human behavior; human behavior has caused the environmental
problems we face but will also help us to cope with them.
Psychology is about human attitudes; people have strong
attitudes, both positive and negative, about the environment and
environmental organizations. Psychology is about human health,
and human health is powerfully affected by the health of the
natural environment. Environmental threats pose both direct a