Young Adult’s Wildlife Preservation Behaviors After Taking High School Environmental Studies Courses

• Main Author: Adair, Athena
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Southern New Hampshire University 2021
• Subjects: climate change; natural environment; habitat; conservation; high school students; polar bear
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10474/3678

Humans worldwide are contributing to the vast environmental degradation taking place on this planet and experiencing the consequences (USGCRP, 2018). As people find themselves victims of unprecedented flooding, fires, and drought, this researcher wonders about those who walked the Earth before and beside humans. Non-human animals, henceforth known as animals, are also suffering those consequences. According to the World Wildlife Fund, climate change is impacting life forms from coral and insects to mighty moose and elephants. It is becoming more evident as resources and ecosystems begin dwindling, that humans will be in greater competition with their animal brethren. “From the shrinking habitat of the polar bear to increased water scarcity driving human-wildlife conflict, these changes will become more pronounced in years to come” (WWF, n.d).