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This case study investigated whether and how urban/rural differences may impact environmental knowledge, attitude, and action levels of the youth to better understand the linkage between place and environmental behavior. A nation-wide survey was conducted in Saint Lucia, targeting secondary school students. A total of 1,349 self-reported questionnaire samples were collected and the results were compared between sex (male/female), age (younger/older), and location (urban/rural) groups using three-way ANOVA tests. Significant urban-rural differences as well as interactions between location and age, and location and sex factors, were found. A path analysis further confirmed that location had a significant direct impact on students' knowledge, and indirect impacts on attitude and action levels via age factor. We discuss the impact of living place on students' environmental characteristics, and how environmental education (EE) can incorporate such perspective in its design. We believe that the obtained insights are useful for making EE more effective.

As given in the Principle 17 of the Agenda 21, there is the need for environmental assessment for human developmental activities that are likely to have significant adverse impacts on the natural environment (UNCED, 1992). This article reviews various assessment methodologies and the reasons why methodological triangulation is a preferred choice to assess environmental degradation. Methodological triangulation is seen as the use of multiple methods in studying social science issues of concern so that to increase the study validity and or credibility. This implies that triangulation is the combination of two or more method approaches to assess social issues. The study reviews the applications of the populist and the classic approach in natural resource assessment, their advantages and disadvantages and methodological triangulation as a combination of both for neutralizing the flaws of the two approaches. Thus, to reap the benefits of the two approaches and minimizing the drawbacks, the combination of these two approaches has been advocated in this article as well. This study then tests the strength of methodological triangulation to assess environmental degradation in northern Ghana.

Introduction: There remain a number of debates and conflicts about the concept of rewilding which can be barriers to its application. Some of these conflicts stem from the variety of contextual interpretations of rewilding, leading to conflict between rewilding theories and approaches. Conclusions have also been drawn about rewilding based on limited case studies, so that emergent rewilding theories aren't applicable to all rewilding projects, limiting their support in the field. Past theories have distinguished different types of rewilding, encouraging debate over the proposed methods, although in practice these approaches often share similar goals and use similar interventions. One barrier to achieving consensus in the practice of rewilding is that there are no clear guidelines for rewilding, and there are limited broad-scale studies focusing on how rewilding is practiced. This paper addresses this by offering the first broad study of rewilding guidelines and interventions. Methods: A grounded theory study was undertaken, using data sourced from rewilding organisations, case studies, and research. Expressions were coded in the data relating to intentions for how rewilding should be practiced and the interventions used. Results: Drawing from these data, the paper offers three tools to guide rewilding practitioners: (1) an overview of guidelines for rewilding practice, (2) a list of interventions used in rewilding, considering them against rewilding goals, (3) a theory of change framework to guide rewilding application. Discussion: The tools presented here will inform work towards IUCN rewilding guidelines. Several areas that require further consideration are highlighted. We hope that this initial study of application can improve agreement and collaboration among the rewilding community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research presents the first detailed national wilderness mapping project conducted in Sri Lanka, aiming to identify and assess the spatial distribution of wilderness areas in the country. The study utilises a GIS-based Wilderness Quality Index (WQI), incorporating three main wilderness attributes: remoteness from public roads, absence of modern human interventions, and naturalness of land cover. The resulting wilderness quality map reveals several areas of high wilderness quality distributed throughout the country, with exceptions in the highly populated western region, where roads and built structures have significant impact. The research highlights the spatial correlation between the distribution of wilderness areas and protected areas, indicating that nearly all wilderness areas in Sri Lanka fall within the boundaries of existing protected areas. However, core wilderness areas outside existing protected areas, termed de facto wilderness areas, constitute a significant portion (19.7%) of total wilderness, raising concerns about their conservation status. The study emphasises the need for further evaluation to assess the ecological and landscape value of these areas and suggests new protected area boundaries. The wilderness quality map developed here provides policymakers with a valuable tool for future conservation planning, enabling informed decision making to preserve and protect Sri Lanka's diverse and unique wilderness areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development and testing of a Web-based GIS e-learning resource is described. This focuses on the application of GIS for siting a nuclear waste disposal facility and the associated principles of spatial decision-making using Boolean and weighted overlay methods. Initial student experiences in using the system are analysed as part of a research project on teaching GIS concepts to large numbers of students with little or no prior GIS experience. Some general thoughts on the utility of Web-based GIS for learning and teaching are presented. Results from the first cohort of 167 undergraduate/postgraduate geography students using the system indicate that students find it easy to use, a useful aid to learning about the issues involved, and a thought-provoking exercise in Internet-based democracy.