The connection between environmental awareness and socio-economic and cultural structure

Abstract

The ecosystem encompasses both social and natural systems. There is a permanent relationship between these two systems based on their impacts on each other. These impacts are a result of social, political, economical and cultural conditions in society. These factors are also important for the determination of the environmental awareness in any region. In order to show the relationship between environmental awareness and these factors, a study of questionnaire has been made in Küçükçekmece Watershed. This area is the basin of one of the most important water resources, called Küçü kçekmece Lake, in İstanbul. The majority of people coming to live in Istanbul have chosen to settle in this area. Today, the watershed is under a very serious pollution load. The results of the study made in the region have showed that socio-economic and cultural structures of the people affect their environmental awareness and their impacts on the region. © 2007 WIT Press.