One way to make people feel the need to conserve the Sun bear population, or at least, the rainforests habitat of the Sun bear is for people to form an environmental identity. Environmental identity means that our relationship with the environment is an important part of our self-concept and that it fulfil our basic identity needs, namely, a desire for autonomy, a desire for belongingness, and a desire to feel competent. But how do we form an environmental identity?
To form an environmental identity, one must feel attached to the environment, and for that to happen, one must first be exposed to the environment. Hence, development of an environmental identity should be the product of exposure and interaction of people and the environment.Exposing people to the habitat of the Sun bear population as well as allowing them to interact with the Sun bear (at a safe distance) can help change people’s behaviour towards the conservation of the Sun bear as well.
Source: Green Tracks
Exposing oneself to nature allows one to feel a connection with nature. Studies show that after people interacted with nature, they are more likely to participate in pro-envrionmental activities. Furthermore, those people who are more exposed to nature while growing up have more emotional attachment to nature as they formed their environmental identity at a young age. These people will then be more likely to save the environment as well. This can be applicable to saving the rainforest habitat of the Sun bears.
Source: Itchmo
Interacting with the animals also helps one to develop an environmental identity. Keeping of pets makes one less likely to participate in activities like hunting or poaching of animals. If the bond with the animal is very strong, some people will not consume animal products as well. Hence we can use this to apply to the consuming of the bear bile and poaching of the sun bears for their parts.