Socio-ecological thinking

Abstract

Within the last century, the impact of human activities on the iophysical environment has resulted in many environmental problems. However, human action is usually decided based on several factors - environmental and the social context (Deluca, 2005, McBride, Brewer, Berkowitz and Borrie, 2013). It is therefore necessary to establish a framework of the current socio-ecological thinking by focusing on the interactions of people with both their physical environments and socio-cultural settings in their everyday lives. The main objective for this research was to investigate the variety in socio-ecological thinking among Malaysians and develop a framework of socio-ecological thinking. This study was a mixed methods design, with a questionnaire as the instrument for quantitative data and in-depth interview for qualitative data. Respondents were selected from different ecosystem types. The findings from this study lead to an understanding of the way people think in relation to their environment and the basis or their decision making that may affect the environment. Recommendations on ecological education in formal and non-formal settings can be forwarded to improve the ecological literacy of the populace in an effort towards a more sustainable future.