Primary and secondary school students opinions towards biodiversity loss

Biodiversity is the diversity of genetical sources, species and ecosystems in water and land environments. There is a fast biodiversity loss due to the anthropocentric activities in last decades. Therefore, it is crucial to understand individuals? awareness, ideas and attitudes about biodiversity loss in order to develop solutions. In the present study, primary and secondary school students? ideas and attitudes towards biodiversity loss were investigated. `Ideas and Attitudes towards Biodiversity Loss? scale, which was developed using semi-structured interviews and the scales in existing literature, was utilized as data collection tool. 290 students in Ankara and 422 students in Kırşehir (totally 712 students) constituted the purposeful sample. In data analysis, it was used descriptive statistics such as percentage and mean and inferential statistics such as explaratory and confirmatory factor analysis and Mann-Whitney U tests. The study showed that students possessed high level of concerns regarding biodiversity loss (BL). The girls were more anxious about BL than boys, whereas more boyes than girls agreed that technological solutions would resolve the problems about BL. In addition, the city factor (industrialized-nonindustrialized) did not exert influence on students? attitudes. Students presented global warming and acid raining as main reasons of BL. The collapses in food chaing and natural balance were the main results of BL. They also considered that recyling and planting trees would strop BL.Keywords: Biodiversity, biodiversity loss, environmental education, students, idea, attitude.