Liberty Mweemba

Ecological Risk Perception in Zambia: Towards a Method for Improving Public Participation in Ecological Risk Management Liberty Mweemba

Ecological risk is a condition in which the normal functions of an ecosystem, population or an entire landscape are threatened by stress factors or external forces which presently or in the future may diminish the productivity, economic value, health, genetic structure, or the aesthetic quality of the ecosystem. This book is a timely and thought-provoking project which focuses on investigation of public perception of ecological risks and public participation in ecological risk management in Zambia. Further, this book analysis of public participation in environmental issues offers the Zambian decision makers information on how the public perceives ecological issues, how they support environmental policies, and what they want to do when they have a chance to participate in a decision making process. The book may provide environmental managers, communicators, and educators with information about how to help the Zambian public better understand the threats from human activities to human life, ecosystems, and social development, and to encourage the public to act toward ecological risk reduction.