As forests and the people that live and work in those forests are transformed through urbanization, environmental knowledge and awareness of the impacts of land use practices on the local environment is reduced. Residents of managed riparian watersheds and/or those who participated regularly in outdoor recreation activities were found to possess the highest degree of environmental knowledge, in contrast to those residing in urban watershed areas. These results suggest that the level of environmental knowledge is more closely aligned with an individuals’ exposure to the natural world rather then their level of education or socioeconomic status.

News notes are courtesy of Southern Forests Network News Notes
www.southernsustainableforests.org