THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEVELOPMENT IN GWAGWALADA LGA

• Introduction

The human history has been largely written in terms of the interaction between man and the environment over the terms of man’s existence and over the terms of his efforts to achieve his goals and aspiration. And for most of human history, the major threats to man came from the environment, but today man is the major threats to the environment and to himself, as he engages in economic activities meant to improve his welfare. These activities meant for man’s development are carried out in the environment and have impacted negatively on it; but environmental quality in turn affects the performance of the economy. Marshall in Arokoyu (2004:187) agreed that it is man’s developmental interventions that have caused environmental disturbances, when he stated that man cannot create material things. His efforts and sacrifices result in changing the forms or arrangements of matter to adapt it better for the satisfaction of his want as his production of materials product is really nothing more than rearrangement of matter which gives it new utilities, so his consumption of them is nothing more than a disarrangement of matter which diminishes or destroy its utilities.

Concern for the environment has increased significantly during the past few decades and, at the same time, people’s values and attitudes towards nature have changed substantially. As far as tourists are concerned, however, many research results have shown that environmental awareness has more to do with tourists’ aim to collect cultural capital than with their genuine concern for nature. In other words, there is an absence of environmental ethics as tourists do not transfer their environmental beliefs into their consumer behavior. This paper will focus on tourists’ images of the environment and on how these images will reflect their consumer behavior.

 

 

According to Ritchie & Adair (2002), sport and tourism are today among the most sought-after leisure experiences in the ‘developed´ world. Sport events, among other special events, are increasingly seen as unique tourist attractions and destination image-makers. However, it was not until in the 1990s that the field of special events was regarded as a serious area of research (Jago & Shaw 1998 cited by Gandhi-Arora & Shaw 2002). Gammon and Robinson (1997) divide sport and tourism into two categories:

Sport tourism and tourism sport. In sport tourism, sport is the principal motive, while in tourism sport, it is only a secondary motive of the holiday. Furthermore, sport tourism can also be divided into two subcategories: recreational and competitive. Accordingly, Ritchie & Adair (2002:2) see that sport tourism includes “travel to participate in a passive or active sport holiday and it may involve instances where either sport or tourism is the dominant activity or reason for travel”. Standeven and De Knop (1999:11-14) have defined sport tourism as follows: “all forms of active and passive involvement in sporting activity, participated in casually or in an organized way for noncommercial or business/commercial reasons, the necessitate travel away from home and work locality”. In the case of Sulkava Rowing Event we can see these both elements. Among participants there are those for whom sport plays a secondary and recreational role, while for rowers, especially for those who participate in the competition series, sport is the main motive for participating in the  event. Similarly, participation in the event can be seen either as active or passive way of spending one’s holiday. Passive sport tourists are those who follow the event merely as spectators while active sports tourists take actively part in the rowing activities. In this research passive tourists are referred to as non-rowers and active ones as rowers.

Environmental attitudes and consumer behavior

Studies conducted in different countries have showed an awakening interest in green products or increase in environmentally friendly attitudes. During the latter half of the 1980s, environmental concern became translated into a specific activity of green consumerism. Surveys show that there has been a permanent change in consumers’ attitudes. The ecolabelling of tourism products seems to be an effective means of communicating the green message to the increasingly responsive tourist audience. However, there is no evidence to suggest that the increase in popularity of sustainable tourism as a whole is directly related to the emergence of green consumerism (Sharpley 2001). Sharpley & Sharpley (1996) see that the nature of tourist consumption has changed from a producer-led to a consumer-led form of consumption. Consequently, new and alternative forms of tourism, like ecotourism or nature-based tourism, have enjoyed increase in popularity. However, this has been more as a result of people’s need to maintain their cultural capital and social differentiation than of a genuine concern for the environment. Thus, as a form of consumption in modern society, tourism has become a marker of social status, a cultural signifier of taste. To their mind, ecotourism, for instance, is more about the tourists’ aim to collect cultural capital than about their concern for nature. Witherspoon´s research from 1994 (according to Sharpley 2001) confirms this result. Witherspoon observed that up to one half of those who claim to embrace green values never transfer these beliefs into their consumer behavior. Mihalic (2001) has received the same result. According to her, there is a difference between the declarative and actual environmental sensitivity for tourist demand, which is the difference between environmental awareness and environmental behavior. Environmental awareness is much greater than seen in tourists’ (non-environmental) behavior. She sees that the problem lies in the absence of environmental ethics that should be aimed towards environmental behavior.

Environmental Management

Environmental management is not, as the phrase could suggest, the management of the environment as such but, rather the management of humans interaction with and impact upon the environment (Wikipedia, 2013). In this regard Isi (2007:287) stated that, environmental management broadly entails legislature that should be separated efficiently in order to promote a livable environment and guarantee sustainable development. He went further to explain that, the objective of an enacted policy is to encourage productive and enjoyable harmony between man and his environment, promote efforts which will prevent or eliminate damage to the environment and biosphere and stimulate the health and welfare of man. It means that environmental management is the management of man’s interaction with the environment. It is based on this notion that some scholars have looked at environmental management akin to conservation. Consenting to this Ribonson in Arokoyu (2004:195) defined it as the careful and rational use of natural resources and their preservation from reckless exploitation and wanton destruction so that man may continue, indefinitely to benefit from nature’s gift. A more comprehensive definition of conservation is the one given by Allaby in the dictionary of environment, that, it is; The planning and management of resources so as to secure their wise use and continuity of supply while maintaining and enhancing their quality value and diversity.

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

The problem of environmental awareness and its relationship with environmental management is a very challenging, this is because one cannot manage what he or she is not aware off. The word at large is undergoing  global warming all as a result of environmental activities of human, that is why various body is set up to look into the subject matter and to improve our awareness of our environment.

 

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of the study is to evaluate the level of environmental awareness and it relationship with environmental management, this study seek to;

1. To ascertain the level of environmental awareness
2. To evaluate the level of relationship between awareness and management

• To ascertain the importance of environmental management

1. To ascertain the importance of environmental awareness.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTION

The main objective of the study is to evaluate the level of environmental awareness and it relationship with environmental management. This study however specifically seeks to;

1. What are the challenges of environmental awareness?
2. What are the impediment to environmental management?

• What are the relationship between environmental management and awareness?

1. How can we attain effective and efficient management of our environment?

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

It is conceived that at the completion of the study its findings would be beneficial to:

1. The environmental management agency
2. The tourist or travelers to know the health implication of their destination

• The traders, investors and the corporate world

1. The researchers, academia and the general public.

1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDIES

The scope of this studies covers the relationship between environmental awareness and environmental management in Gwagwalada area council of FCT. However, this studies has some limitation, which are:

Finance: finance is a major limitation to the study as resources allocated to the study is limited

Time: time is a major constrain to the research as time allocated to the study is very limited.

Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study

1.7 DEFINATION OF TERMS

ENVIRONMENT

Definition: Environment literally means surrounding and everything that affect an organism during its lifetime is collectively known as its environment. In another words “Environment is sum total of water, air and land interrelationships among themselves and also with the human being, other living organisms and property”. It includes all the physical and biological surrounding and their interactions. Environmental studies provide an approach towards understanding the environment of our planet and the impact of human life upon the environment. Thus environment is actually global in nature, it is a multidisciplinary subject including physics, geology, geography, history, economics, physiology, biotechnology, remote sensing, geophysics, soil science and hydrology etc.

 

Environmental Problem

Some of the notable problem of environment can be identified as under: – a. Land Air And Water:

pollution of land and water has affected plants, animals and human beings. The quality of soil is deteriorating resulting in the loss of agricultural land. The loss is estimated to be about five to seven million hectares of land each year. Soil erosion, as a result of wind and/or water, costs the world dearly. The recurring floods have their own peculiar casualties like deforestation, silt in the river bed, inadequate and improper drainage, loss of men and property. The vast oceans, after being turned in to dumping grounds for all nuclear wastes, have poisoned and polluted the whole natural environment.

1. Population Growth:

population growth means more people to eat and breathe, and putting an excessive pressure on land and forest, and ultimately disturbing the ecological balance. Our growing population is putting pressure on land, leading to poor quality of productivity, deforestation (the loss of forest land so necessary for ecological balance and exitinction of wild life leading to imbalance in the ecological order, loss of wild life heritage and ultimately dwindling of several species. The growing population is not only a problem for the natural environment; it is a problem for any other aspect of environment, say, for example social, economic, political etc.

1. Urbanization:

Urbanization is no less a source of pollution, and therefore, a threat to the environment. Urbanization means maddening race of people from villages to the cities. The net result of urbanization is dirt, disease and disasters. In a state of growing urbanization, environmental problem like sanitation, ill-heath, housing, water-supply and electricity keep expanding. On the other, the environmental degradation is caused in the rural life due to indiscriminate collection of firewood, overgrazing and depletion of other natural resources.

1. Industrialization:

Industrialization coupled with the development of the means of transport and communication has not only polluted the environment, but also has led to the shrinking of the natural resources. Both ways, the loss is really heavy. Increasing level of heat fluxes, carbon dioxide and particulate, radioactive nuclear wastes and the like create environment hazards. On the other hand, the consumption of conventional source of energy leads to the loss of natural resource. We are building a world without caring for future generations.

ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS

To define environmental awareness we must first understand the environmentalist movement. Environmentalism is an ideology that evokes the necessity and responsibility of humans to respect, protect, and preserve the natural world from its anthropogenic (caused by humans) afflictions. Environmental awareness is an integral part of the movement’s success. By teaching our friends and family that the physical environment is fragile and indispensable we can begin fixing the problems that threaten it. Numerous resources are available to promote environmental awareness; group learning (in or outside of class), informational and inspirational seminars, such as our Awakening the Dreamer Program, and environmental books and brochures are just a few of the tools that can get you involved in promoting the environment.

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

Environmental Management offers research and opinions on use and conservation of natural resources, protection of habitats and control of hazards, spanning the field of environmental management without regard to traditional disciplinary boundaries. The journal aims to improve communication, making ideas and results from any field available to practitioners from other backgrounds. Contributions are drawn from biology, botany, chemistry, climatology, ecology, ecological economics, environmental engineering, fisheries, environmental law, forest sciences, geosciences, information science, public affairs, public health, toxicology, zoology and more. As the principal user of nature, humanity is responsible for ensuring that its environmental impacts are benign rather than catastrophic. Environmental Management presents the work of academic researchers and professionals outside universities, including those in business, government, research establishments, and public interest groups, presenting a wide spectrum of viewpoints and approaches

 

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