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Fostering young people's commitment to protect biodiversity is an important goal of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in both, industrial countries and designated biodiversity hotspots. However, little empirical evidence exists to describe factors that influence such commitments. Based on the Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theory, 15 to 19-year-old Chilean (n=216) and German (n=217) pupils' commitment to protect biodiversity was investigated. Comparisons revealed that Chilean adolescents showed higher personal norms and commitments to protect biodiversity. Regression analysis showed that within the German sample, the "Schwartz"-value universalism was an important predictor for three different kinds of behavioural commitment. In both samples, "ascription of responsibility", "perceived ability to reduce threat" and, above all, "personal norms" were positive predictors. The paper concludes with a discussion of the results in the light of existing evidence and suggests implications for biodiversity education. (Contains 1 figure and 4 tables.)

Fostering the cognitive skills to analyse environmental "commons dilemmas" is an urgent task of environmental education globally. Commons dilemmas are characterised by structural incentives to overexploit a natural resource; their solution is particularly pressing in threatened biodiversity "hotspot" areas. Solutions to these dilemmas require local actors who command knowledge on the social, ecological, economic and institutional aspects of resource utilisation. This study investigates subjective theories that future Indonesian teachers and agricultural advisors bring to a representative local commons dilemma, the extraction of the non-timber forest product rattan. Based on 19 structured qualitative interviews, we identified prior knowledge concerning rattan extraction. University students expressed subjective theories on the ecological consequences of rattan extraction such as landslides or flooding. In addition to education, students mentioned more effective state administrations to conserve rattan stocks. The need to institutionally balance short-term individual exploitation profits with long-term interests in the preservation of a productive resource at community level, was hardly recognised. While Indonesia strives to include environmental education in its school curricula, the results highlight that future educators themselves are not well equipped to address pressing issues of resource and biodiversity loss. (Contains 3 figures and 3 notes.)

The topic of biodiversity is of high value for education for sustainable development as it reflects the interaction of ecological, economic and social issues particularly well. Especially in so-called biodiversity hotspots, among them Chile, natural resources are often depleted for economic interest which, in many cases, is required income. Therefore, economic and social aspects must be considered in order to fully understand biodiversity loss. Being such an important issue, it is surprising that little is known thus far about learning prerequisites concerning biodiversity. This paper presents a qualitative interview study that investigated 16 to 18-year-old Chilean and German learners' perception of biodiversity and its loss (n = 24). Firstly, the pupils' cognitive frameworks were analysed. Secondly, subjective theories about biodiversity loss due to resource dilemmas were explored. Three subjective theories that emerged from the data reflected the notion that most pupils focused on either ecological or economic aspects of biodiversity loss. Pupils who concentrated on ecological aspects often referred to incorrect ecological facts. Moreover, these pupils showed difficulties in developing empathy and solidarity with impoverished people, who depend economically on plants in a resource dilemma. A smaller group of pupils succeeded in integrating the ecological, economic, and social aspects. Regarding the two samples, Chilean pupils seemed to have greater difficulties in recognising the social aspects of biodiversity loss, while German pupils were largely unaware of biodiversity loss on a local level. Implications for biodiversity education and future research will be outlined and discussed.