Search

Our connection with nature is important for mental and physical well-being and this connection depends on how we understand, value and engage with the natural world. However, there is persistent evidence that young people remain disconnected from nature. In this article we discuss reasons why many secondary schools in England are having difficulty engaging their students with nature. We propose a rethinking of the way we teach about nature and biodiversity by promoting the notion of 'nature literacy', which can empower students to become more actively engaged with the natural world around them.

Research has shown that spending time in nature is beneficial for children's mental wellbeing, but how long must they spend to gain some benefit? Here we present the results from two studies: the Schools' Biodiversity Project, which took place over a year, with children spending an hour a week exploring biodiversity in their school grounds; and a one-off BioBlitz activity, where children spent just one hour looking for species in their school grounds. Both studies showed significant improvement in the children's mood after taking part in nature activities, as well as an increased awareness of the species present in their grounds.

This article describes the evaluation of a teaching programme in Japanese secondary science classes, which introduces the perspective of deep ecology, reflecting the traditional Japanese view of nature. The study found that meditative activities in nature promoted students' sense of identifying with nature, with an underpinning factor of 'self-realisation', and that students who had previously identified with nature were more likely to engage with deep meditative questioning. By encouraging students to consider the relationship between people and nature, from a scientific perspective but also from an environmental ethics perspective based on traditional Japanese views of nature, students' environmental ethics and physical and mental health could all be improved.

What do we really mean by sustainability and why is biodiversity so important? What is nature-connectedness and how can it be developed? By exploring these questions, the need for education within this context becomes ever more apparent. This article takes you on a journey of sustainability, exploring the term from a variety of standpoints. It goes on to introduce the concept of ecosystem services while debating its relevance from a nature-centred perspective. Throughout, educational examples are cited and teacher-recommended resources suggested to help raise awareness and support learning through and for sustainability.

This case study addresses the issue of climate change denial among students in their first year of vocational education. It was possible to shake the belief that man-made climate change was not happening, through letting students measure the potential of natural forest vegetation and compare their findings with those gathered by their peers nine years earlier. The comparison revealed that old forests had turned into ecosystems, which were adapted for dryer warmer climates. For education for sustainable development, forest education and biology lessons offer the opportunity to establish a long term project, in which peer-to-peer-learning over generations of students is possible, with a high rate of acceptance of the results generated by the former students.

Classroom teaching can be a "wild" experience, but in March three teachers stepped out of the classroom to take on the Tassie wilderness and deliver their students a different kind of lesson. Joining forces with a team of scientists, the teachers delved into the important task of surveying Australia's biodiversity at the Stony Head military base, 50 km north of Launceston, as part of Australia's largest nature discovery program, Bush Blitz. Bush Blitz is a cross-sector partnership between the Australian Government, Parks Australia, BHP, and Earthwatch Australia, to undertake expeditions that collect and share information about native plants and animals and search for new species. TeachLive is the Bush Blitz collaboration with the Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA), that enables teachers to participate in these expeditions. This article shares the teachers' experiences, and how they proved to be valuable members of the team.

This research evaluates the values, beliefs and norms on conserving biodiversity amongst Turkish Cypriot high school students and the results are compared according to gender and class year individually. The data was collected from 506 students via a value-belief-norm questionnaire. According to the results of this questionnaire, it is observed that the Turkish Cypriot high school students pay more attention towards the "self-administration" value, believe that their responsibility towards protecting the local and global biodiversity is more than their perception of talent to manage it and their personal norms regarding the conservation of biodiversity is very similar to each other. Furthermore, it can be concluded that gender and grade does have an effect on the values, beliefs and norms on preserving biodiversity.

The purpose of this action research is to improve the achievement of students in general and, to examine the perception of students and teachers about cooperative learning, to identify major factors affecting the implementation of cooperative learning and to identify the possible strategies used to improve cooperative learning in Madawalabu University, School of Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management, particularly Department of Natural Resource Management. Descriptive case study design and both qualitative and quantitative research methods were employed. Quantitative data were collected from 23 students through observation and focus group discussion. In the selection of the sample population, available sampling was employed, and data were analyzed by using percentage, mean grand mean and t-test. The findings of the study revealed that students' participation was low concerning cooperative learning, and the practice of cooperative learning was challenged by different problems like lack of awareness and motivation both from the side of teachers and students, dependence of lower achievers on higher achievers, unequal sharing of work among group members, inappropriate group organization, uncomfortable seating arrangement of students, insufficient support and follow up from teachers before the implementation of action plan. Nevertheless, by utilizing the proposed actions like creating awareness about the importance of cooperative learning, re-organizing group arrangement, providing different responsibilities for each member of the group and providing the required support for all the groups, there is the improvement on achievement of students. Therefore, cooperative learning can improve the achievement of students if it is conducted in a well-organized way by using different strategies that help learners to take responsibility by themselves.

Japan stands as a rare country in which ESD has been incorporated as mainstream policy. However, looking back on the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD), ESD has not brought about the transformation in Japan that one expects ESD to aim for, despite this support at the policy level. The cause may be that pouring the "new wine" of ESD into the "old bottle" of the traditional educational system has diluted the dynamism contained in ESD. Both "shallow ESD" and "deep ESD" exist. The former stems mainly from widely shared interpretations of ESD that emphasize the overlap and connections with existing school subjects and types of education. The latter is needed to avoid this loss of dynamism and to gain access to the full potential of ESD. Holistic educational approaches that replace conventional ones, as well as system-level transformation, are indispensable to realize this "deep ESD."

Outdoor, hands-on and experiential learning, as opposed to instruction-based learning in classroom, increases student satisfaction and motivation leading to a deeper understanding of the subject. However, the use of outdoor exercises in undergraduate biology courses is declining due to a variety of constraints. Thus, the goal of this paper is to describe a convenient, no-cost and flexible exercise using an on-campus botanical tour for strengthening specific knowledge areas of major plant groups. Its assessment on conduct and coverage, and student-perceived and actual knowledge gain is also described. Data presented derived from traditional biology undergraduates in sophomore year over nine fall and three spring semesters. Conduct and coverage was assessed using a summative survey including open-ended questions administered to 198 students. A pre- and post-exercise survey addressing 10 knowledge categories was administered to 139 students to evaluate student-perceived knowledge gain. Quiz grades from the on-campus tour exercise were compared with average quiz grades from two in-class plant-related labs of 234 students to assess actual knowledge gain. Each student reporting on the conduct and coverage indicated either one or a combination of outcomes of the exercise as positive engagement, experiential learning, or of interest. Student-perceived improvement was evident in all ten knowledge categories with a greater improvement in categories learned anew during exercise compared to subjects reviewed. Quiz grades from the exercise were >11% greater than quiz grades from the two in-class plant-related labs. Active learning with interest likely contributed to the increased perceived and actual knowledge gains. Suggestions for adoption of the exercise in different settings are presented based on both student comments and instructor's experience.

This study investigates the degree to which biodiversity concepts are included within university curricula in Ontario and provides a baseline for tracking this. A keyword search of undergraduate and graduate academic calendars from six Ontario universities was conducted. A list of 28 relevant keywords was developed, and university program descriptors were searched for these keywords, while considering core and elective courses within each program. Almost half (49.5%) of the 386 undergraduate programs, and 29.4% of the 327 graduate programs featured biodiversity keywords. Science programs showed the highest degree of integration (74.5% for undergraduate and 37.4% for graduate programs), followed by business programs (57.6% and 38.4%, respectively). The arts and social sciences showed the least biodiversity integration (25.8% of undergraduate and 21.0% of graduate programs). This research method provides a depth of understanding of biodiversity integration within university curricula, although the analysis is limited to the content provided in academic calendars.

This research presents a case study on the knowledge of pre-service teachers of the school of lower secondary education on biodiversity conservation in Rwanda. It critically examines the implication of the level of knowledge on attitudes and behaviors towards biodiversity conservation and the potential implications of a lack of the courses focusing on biodiversity conservation in the school of lower secondary education, and presents empirical data from a survey and group discussions. Results showed that generally the level of knowledge of pre-service teachers on biodiversity conservation is high, and there is positive correlation between knowledge, awareness and attitude, which in turn may contribute to sustainable biodiversity conservation in Rwanda. Research concluded that there should be another research on the side of primary and secondary students in order to verify if the skills of teachers in biodiversity conservation are fully taught to the students.

This study investigates how well prepared student teachers are to implement species identification in school. Data were collected with the help of a questionnaire and a PowerPoint presentation in which local plant and animal species were presented. Participants (n = 357) correctly identified, on average, 23% of the plants and 44% of the animals. They identified plants mainly by flower characteristics and leaves, and animals mainly by shape and colour. Family and school were key sources of participants' knowledge of species. The self-estimated competence of participants to identify species was positively correlated with their taxonomic knowledge and the amount of time they had spent on species identification during their own schooldays. The number of correctly identified plant and animal species increased with interest in identifying species and participation in species identification courses. Participants considered learner-centred education and experience-based learning, and the use of living organisms to be most important when identifying species in school.

In order to achieve the regional sustainability and bio-cultural preservation, environmental education of youth will be critical, however due to the lack of the specific subject of regional studies at the educational curriculum, students are not able to achieve the skills to understand the local environment and feel isolated from nature. We decided that, it would be very important to create active nature fieldworks where students can connect with nature by using five senses of perception (hearing, seeing, smelling, touching and tasting), to educate the feeling of connection and belonging to the nature and later develop the awareness of nature-human-culture interactions through the on-hands participatory fieldworks with local communities. Fieldworks were divided in two main parts; biodiversity experience with nature activities (NA) to increase the sense of belongings to the nature, by using five senses; visual (seeing), auditory (hearing), tactile (touching), gustatory (tasting), and olfactory (smelling) in three different ecosystems; marine, forest and mountain areas. The second part was cultural diversity fieldworks with rural communities (RC) to understand the nature-human-culture interactions. The survey, was conducted twice, before the fieldworks to evaluate the overall environmental awareness, knowledge, and attitude, and after the fieldworks, together with the reports submission. Results showed that NA helped students to understand the rural communities more deeply (96%) and they became more concerned about its future (95%). Before visiting the rural communities only 39% showed an interest in volunteering in the community, however after the NA and on-hands experiences with local people 95% showed the willingness to volunteer and help local people. This study suggest about the importance of fieldworks to educate the sense of unity with rural environment and recognizing the local issues. Students became more concerned about the regional issues and evoked the willingness to volunteer in the regions and contribute for the sustainable regional development.

In formal learning spaces, students must navigate making meaning of both new knowledge and potentially new worldviews. In this qualitative grounded theory study, we examined how adult Buddhist monastic students learned about and described the origin of biodiversity in an introductory biology course. The study was conducted at a Tibetan settlement in south India during an 8-day class that was offered as part of joint program between an American university and the Tibetan Buddhist monastic community. Informed by hybridity theory, we describe four findings regarding how the monks made meaning (i.e., deciding "what to learn," "framing what to learn," "why they should learn," and "how they could learn"). The monks (1) integrated the new knowledge about physical diversity into their worldview of "mental diversity;" (2) found similarities between their worldview and academic science; (3) were both intrinsically and extrinsically motivated to learn about biology; and (4) valued opportunities to engage in dialectical discourse to assist in meaning making. We conclude that the monks navigated different epistemologies demonstrating secured collateral learning. We encourage researchers to consider using a decolonized perspective when conducting studies of learning in hybrid or third spaces.

In recent years, museums have recognized the urgent need to address several challenging issues. These topics include gender equality, racism, and environmental issues, just to name a few. As museums embrace the role of community-building change-makers, how can we include our audiences in the mission of making positive change? How can our scholarship, facts, and histories inform our audience's understanding of the present? More importantly, how can we empower them to activate their understanding and change their behavior in order to create a better future? In a dialogue between Eva Rossmanith, a German museum educator and Julie Garner, a theater specialist from the U.S., we offer best practices in using participation and empathy to engage the museum public in fact-based dialogue about challenging topics. With an inclusive approach to content, we can encourage civil discourse and give people the tools to change their behavior and facilitate positive change.

Feedback is critically important to student learning, but the reduced frequency of assignments combined with isolated or stand-alone tasks reduces the opportunity for students to engage with feedback and use it effectively to enhance their learning. Here, I evaluate student attainment during a module consisting of eight iterated tasks where the task itself is the same but the academic content differs. At the end of the module, students then self-assess their eight submissions and select two for summative assessment. I demonstrate that achievement increases over the course of the module, and that choice is valuable in allowing students to achieve higher summative marks for the course than their formative marks would suggest. Students who performed more weakly at the start of the module saw the greatest benefits from practice and choice, suggesting that these students particularly can benefit from repeated cycles of feedback and increase their marks.

In this paper, we propose and describe a new approach, named BarcodingGO, to teach environmental DNA and bioinformatics concepts to undergraduate or graduate students in molecular biology-related fields. The learning pipeline proposed here aims to solve a simulated environmental monitoring problem, in which a biodiversity survey of a particular region is needed to assess the impact of an environmental disaster. Biological surveys, in the context of environmental DNA studies, are performed by analyzing the DNA released by organisms living in a specific environment. We proposed a scenario in which quick response (QR) codes represented a given environmental DNA, and they were positioned in a scattered pattern across two regions of the classroom (representing pre and post scenarios for a particular environmental disaster). The QR codes redirect to a page that contained a fictional representation of an animal or a plant. Students then survey the region's biodiversity using QR code scanning applications on their cell phones by "capturing" these organisms as an analogy to the "Pokémon GO" game of the international "Pokémon" franchise. We believe this method (or even an adaptation of it) can be an essential tool to engage students in molecular biology classes. Moreover, this approach can help to teach how modern genomics and bioinformatics tools can be applied to solve real problems in conservation biology.

We evaluated an emerging smartphone application, iNaturalist, to increase taxonomic identification and engage first-year undergraduate biology majors in outdoor laboratories of aquatic ecosystems (stream and lake ecology) and terrestrial ecosystems (tree and leaf litter ecology). Labs involved identifying organisms using both standard field guides and keys, and comparing taxonomic identifications using the iNaturalist smartphone application derived from student images of organisms. Students were given post-laboratory surveys which assessed their preference for this increasingly popular smartphone application, whether they were more likely to use the application in the future and rate its ability and ease of use to properly identify organisms compared to traditional keys/field guides. This iNaturalist application worked most consistently for students with terrestrial organisms, when images were of sufficient quality. However, when only medium-high to high-quality photos were used, iNaturalist identifications ranged from 92.3% to 97.3% proper biological taxonomic classifications to standard organismal levels for an introductory biology course. Overall, iNaturalist provided greater taxonomic resolution with proper scientific and common names and additional natural history information for many organisms, piquing student interest. Incorporating this smartphone technology may increase identification of local biodiversity and student engagement in the biological sciences.

Urban greenspaces (UGS) play an important role in the well-being of communities. With guidance from a teacher, students can be empowered to lead and design a modern UGS that supports communities and biodiversity. This lesson plan was developed with students and their communities in mind to promote awareness of the benefits of UGS between health, natural habitats, and healthy urban communities. In this lesson, the usage of "greenspace" emphasizes human-environment interaction to address public health and social ecological services.

This high school life science unit introduces students to the intersection of science, economics, geography, and culture through the current practices of palm oil cultivation in the tropics. For this article, the authors travelled to Sabah Province, Malaysia, to visit palm oil plantations, conduct interviews, and collect resources to help students better understand how this industry affects biodiversity in tropical ecosystems and how students are connected to palm oil production as consumers through global supply chains.

Limited knowledge exists on participant outcomes relating to citizen science programs. Using the ClimateWatch: Scientist for a Day program as a case study, we sought to understand participant behaviors and attitudes post-program, and evaluated the program's post-engagement initiatives. Phone interviews were conducted with 15 former participants. While participants enjoyed learning and increasing their environmental knowledge, very few of them engaged in the program's on-going monitoring activities. Lack of motivation and post-program engagement were cited as key reasons for this outcome. Recommendations are provided to improve participant outcomes, and to assist program evaluation research and the program's scientific engagement aims.

Vertebrate species knowledge, a key factor for conserving biodiversity, is a compulsory part of school curricula. This study evaluated the vertebrate species knowledge of sixth-grade German grammar school pupils (aged 11-13) to investigate the influence of socio-demographic factors (gender, size of hometown, mother tongue), personal expectations (favourite school subject, performance in biology, expected test results) and possibilities to do nature observations (favourite playing area, number of excursions to nature) on identification skills. In addition, the study examined whether schoolchildren's taxonomic knowledge changed over the years. In a species identification test, participants (N = 984) scored an average of 14.18 ± 3.82 out of 25 points. The results showed that their species knowledge was significantly influenced by their personal expectations on test performance, the school, favourite playing area, mother tongue and gender. Hometown size, the number of excursions to nature, favourite school subject and performance in biology did not significantly affect children's species knowledge. Mammals had the highest identification rates, whereas birds and reptiles were rather unknown. These results were compared with a similar dataset in 2006 indicating a 15% loss in pupils' species knowledge within the last decade. A change in the curriculum as a reason for this decline in taxonomic knowledge is discussed.

This article provides ethnographic insight into the more-than-human relationships enacted through young people's participation in school grounds conservation activities. As a response to the escalating biodiversity crisis, conservation appears well-placed to facilitate young people's development of an environmental ethic of care, and a capacity to work towards addressing environmental issues. Proponents of post-human pedagogies, however, argue that the 'stewardship' perspective underlying these activities fails to achieve the radical shift in human-environment relations required in response to the Anthropocene, given its apparent reinforcement of a perceived human/nature binary, and narrow 'solutions'-based approach. Considering these critiques, this article demonstrates that where there is openness to unplanned more-than-human encounters and the enactment of young people's own 'lived curricula', conservation activities can nonetheless enable forms of 'collective thinking with the more-than-human world' that transcend any underlying 'stewardship' perspective. We therefore point to the potential role of conservation activities within post-human responses to the Anthropocene, provided such openness is maintained.

Biodiversity education is widely considered a necessary component of protecting global biodiversity by helping to change harmful attitudes and actions. BioBlitz events, rapid surveys of all living things in a defined area over a set period, are becoming a widely used practice for biodiversity education. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of a campus BioBlitz as a place-based experiential learning experience for early undergraduate science students by having students work alongside naturalist experts to build skills in species observation and identification using the iNaturalist app. We surveyed students about their perceptions of the BioBlitz experience. Eighty two percent of students agreed that the BioBlitz provided valuable hands-on learning, they valued learning outside of a traditional classroom, and felt they learned new knowledge about species identification. Many students reported a heightened sense of environmental stewardship and a positive sense of place on campus. We conclude with a discussion of the benefits of a campus BioBlitz in overcoming many of the emerging challenges associated with outdoor field-based education.

The 2019 published report of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem (IPBES) reveals that the decline in species and habitats induced by human activities is continuing. School students still have difficulties to understand the meaning of biodiversity and the consequences of its loss. The underlying assumption of this study is that learners do not only need a scientific understanding of biodiversity in order to perceive it as personally meaningful. Rather, they should also have the opportunity to relate this complex topic to their individual nature experiences. This study pursues the idea that the biography of a biodiversity researcher can be used as a model for school students. A total of 18 German secondary school students at an average age of 15 years took part in this qualitative study. Data sampling included six group discussions with three participants each. We used an inductive as well as a deductive approach (category system) to analyze the data. Our results show that our study participants' biographical nature experiences are appropriate to build bridges between biodiversity and themselves. Furthermore, we retraced meaningful understanding processes among the school students. These insights can inform biodiversity education.

How and why should intercultural education address anthropogenic climate change? The paper argues that anthropogenic climate change threatens "biocultural" diversity, leading to linguistic and species extinction and discusses the twofold preservation of cultural and biological diversity. The paper starts with a limited analysis of the research discourse from 2000 to 2019 on the climate crisis contained in the journal Intercultural Education. Looking for eventual missing links in the research discourse, the paper argues for a need to combine more explicitly both diversities and introduces Escobar's call for alternative political ontology (2016, 2018), in order to reflect further on a Western situated posture. As a position paper, the article points to the need for developing a new line of research within the field of intercultural education (IE) based on the two intertwined dimensions of diversity.

In this study, an extracurricular observation module is suggested for the purpose of observing the sustainability of biodiversity based on gathering evidence regarding different seed dispersal processes in the natural environment. These observations were made during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when human activity inflicted a minimum level of damage. The location of the observations was a microecosystem discovered on an urban college campus. Observations were made of four different types of seeds (palm, mulberry, linden and laurel) inside this ecosystem as well as of the way they were being carried via three different means (gravity, wind and the birds). The methods of how evidence of these seed-carrying processes was collected are presented here. A systematic and sequential observational technique in three steps is suggested to facilitate understanding the germination, growth and development processes of the different seeds in the microecosystem explored. We propose on the basis of this module that anyone can discover a microecosystem in their immediate environment and that with systematic observations can develop the skills needed to gather evidence on the ways seeds are disseminated and how plants grow. The entire construct of this study has been structured to support this claim.

Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) are referred to differently in different contexts and circumstances. Related conceptions include 'Traditional Knowledge Systems' (TKS), 'Endogenous Knowledge Systems' (EKS) and 'Classical Knowledge Systems' (CKS). A focus on IKS implies an archaeology and re-appropriation of those knowledges that were not allowed to 'be', to enhance our human understanding, and develop, protect, and promote them. Most exigent in a decolonised context is the transformative challenge of developing appropriate protocols, codes of conduct, and terms for any dialogue and integration. This paper argues that at a systems level, IKS demands: establishing an ethically sound and ecologically constituted way of thinking; affirming the multiplicity of worlds and forms of life; creating a shared paradigm shift; self-reflexive praxis; becoming critical explorers of human and societal possibilities; establishing new evaluation and appraisal criteria; and a transformation to new futures. Such a transformation recognises cognitive justice as a plurality of ways of knowing.

The rollback of several environmental policies in the US at the federal level over the last couple of years often evokes a heavy sense of cynicism in our students toward environmental politics and has exacerbated their anxiety for the future of our planet. In this article, I argue that it is important to acknowledge our students' emotional distress toward complex environmental issues like climate change or biodiversity loss and suggest a policy-entrepreneurial approach to teaching environmental politics and policy that aims to offer students greater agency over the political system that has shown to inspire optimism and action. This approach involves moving beyond critical analyses of environmental policies and guiding undergraduates through systemic studies of the larger policy-making process to find possible leverage points to influence environmental politics. This potentially allows students to view policies in a continuum that can be actively shaped and channels their negative emotions on the failure of addressing environmental problems toward constructive hope and positive environmental behavior.

Even highly urban environments are settings for outdoor learning of local biodiversity, for they contain easily accessible street tree diversity that students walk pass daily. This study uses pre/post assessments and a tree observation curriculum grounded in scientific observation practice to understand the everyday and scientific tree observation practice of urban middle school students of mixed socioeconomic status (SES). Specifically, it examined students' abilities to name trees, the specific features of trees students noticed, and the botanical vocabulary they used to describe the trees they pass daily. Participants included 308 intervention students and 265 comparison students (11-14 years old) in six public New York City middle schools. Findings show that without the intervention students could not identify common street trees (oak, maple, honey locust), that they did not notice key tree features like leaf arrangement and shape and that they lacked the botanical vocabulary to accurately describe the features of the trees they see daily. Instead, students mostly differentiated trees by obvious uninformative gross features like overall tree size. Generalised multilevel statistical models of pre/post test results show that the ability to name, notice, and describe trees with botanical terminology improved with the study intervention. Students from medium SES schools had more prior knowledge and showed greater growth in learning than students from low SES schools.

This study explores the progression in the perceptions that pre-service primary teachers have about the interdependence of people and invertebrate organisms, after implementing an inquiry proposal. By means of an inductive analysis, the reports made by the pre-service teachers were assessed and grouped into four models, according to the level of relationship between invertebrates and society they established. The results suggest that the participants had certain willingness to build simple relationships. Nevertheless, the progression towards more-complex relationships based on an understanding of the ecosystem services provided by invertebrates would require opportunities for the pre-service teachers to explore their direct and indirect relationships with their everyday life. Moreover, the utilitarian vision of invertebrates as a resource might not be enough to understand the complexity of conservation problems, which requires a systemic vision to interpret the causes and consequences in the different environmental, socio-economic dimensions.

Representative biology textbooks for secondary school students from Korea, Indonesia, and the USA were compared to explain the differences among each country's biodiversity-related contents. For comparison, a specialised technical book was added as a reference book. Textbooks from Korea, Indonesia, and the USA have similar main sub-sections of biodiversity contents. However, both Indonesian and American biological textbooks have special additional sub-sections that differed from Korean textbook. However, none of these biological textbooks presented fully similar explanation with the reference book as a standard. Since there were several differences in explaining major topics of biodiversity in each country, we suggest that curricula compilers adapt provided biodiversity related-contents for presenting them better in the future. In addition, we also suggest biology textbook authors in Korea to add more native biological diversity examples in biodiversity content especially in conservation sub-section. With this, we hope students can learn and know more their countries' biodiversity richness through biological textbook.

Climate change is a 'super-wicked' problem associated with challenges including food security, mass migration and biodiversity loss. Young people are increasingly expecting their university education to prepare them to address these challenges. This requires universities to go beyond scientific accounts of climate change, and to engage students in the complex interactions between social, economic and environmental systems. Authentic learning develops students' understanding of 'real-world' challenges and is well aligned with pedagogical traditions in geography. We researched the extent to which climate change is framed as a wicked problem and how students undertake authentic learning about it in UK and Ireland undergraduate geography programmes. Our findings show that while authentic approaches to teaching climate change can be well developed at module level, programme design lacks coherence. Teaching focuses on climate problems rather than progressively scaffolding students' skills for finding effective solutions. We propose that academic developers have significant potential to enhance climate change teaching. We present seven principles for geography programme teams to improve climate change teaching in degree programmes. The wicked problems concept emerged at a time of social unrest and growing environmental consciousness and so remains a powerful way to frame teaching about global challenges.

How children piece together their reasons for protecting the environment is an important but under-research area in early childhood education for sustainability (ECEfS). This article reviews findings related to young Maltese children's (aged 3-7 years) reasons for protecting the environment. Adopting a qualitative case study approach, preliminary data were collected via observations in two state schools and one family household, semi-structured conversational interviews with children, children's drawings and their interpretations of them, and document analysis. Findings showed that children were aware of the need to protect the environment, they were aware of some environmental issues within their local context. Children were able to share their opinions with adults about the importance of protecting the environment in different ways. Children's reasons for protecting the environment centred round moral reasons; the effects on human life; the effects on endangered species; supports for living; and, aesthetics. Finally, the implications of these findings for ECEfS, policy and directions for future research are discussed.

The Earth is in the midst of a recent acceleration in the rate of species extinction and the unravelling of ecological communities. The authors think with the emerging field of Extinction Studies to explore educational approaches to ecological endangerment and extinction. Using a notion of visiting as 'curious practice', we story encounters between the authors, young children and the endangered Noorook Yalgorup-Lake Clifton thrombolites and their ecological community in south-western Australia. These visits were not intended to teach "about" extinction or the thrombolites. Rather, our aim was to generate pedagogical insights through approaching the threatened thrombolites and their environment with curiosity, openness and attentiveness, and framed by perspectives that trouble human exceptionalism and Western dualisms. Guided by Haraway's notion of 'staying with the trouble', we argue this approach to encountering extinction generates insights into learning and living with ecological crisis in our shared world. Specifically, that for educators and children to relearn the world and their place in it, educators must enable new senses, meanings, perspectives and stories to populate the Earth and for this to occur they should listen with openness to, and think with, children.

Ecosystems, interacting systems of biotic and abiotic factors, are a fascinating topic in life science. The "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS Lead States 2013) recognize "Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics" (HS-LS2) as one of four overarching ideas in life science that students should understand. Student appreciation of these complex and fragile systems is more important than ever as human impacts threaten biodiversity around the globe. Direct observation of real ecosystems is essential for students to build both ecological content knowledge and the scientific practices needed to investigate natural systems (Korfiatis and Tunnicliffe 2012). This investigation was designed to build students' understanding and appreciation of ecosystems in an authentic, engaging, and cost-effective way. It employs the 5E Instructional Model (Bybee 2016) and spans a three-week ecosystems unit. This unit was taught to junior and senior AP Environmental Science students at a Title 1 high school, though it could easily be adapted for use in a variety of life science courses.

The definition of biodiversity stated by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1992 was conceived as occurring on three different organizational levels: genetic, species, and ecosystems. However, current understanding of biodiversity includes other components, such as the number, abundance, composition, and spatial distribution of species and functional groups. This paper aimed to identify high school students' frameworks of biodiversity, to assess their conceptual understanding of biodiversity against scientific definitions, and to analyze the influence of sex and school location on students' understanding of biodiversity. By administering a written questionnaire in which ten different biodiversity scenarios were presented, each consisting of two environments which differed in certain biodiversity components, we asked students (n=321, 15-18 years old) to choose and argue their preference for biodiversity conservation. Students held a range of frameworks of biodiversity, with some of them being in agreement with scientific conceptualizations (idea of variance as the number of species, functional groups, and trophic relationships). However, students were strongly centered on species richness and undervalued population size, functional characters, species evenness, and alpha diversity. Biodiversity was associated with a notion of balance, by which a proportioned trophic chain prevents species extinction. Overall, students used few components of biodiversity in their argumentations, with no influence of school location or sex. We recommend that teachers fully integrate students' frameworks with more updated definitions of biodiversity than that of the CBD, conceptualizing its components in order to empower students to decide on current socioscientific issues.

The negative impact of human activity has been known throughout history. The epic tale of Gilgamesh, Koranic and biblical texts all make clear the potential that humans have to destroy the world in which they live. Climate breakdown, biodiversity collapse and zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19 have also been predicted well in advance. The "wicked problem" (dilemma) to address is: "Why do humans still persist in 'digging their own graves' by damaging the environments they inhabit?" The author of this article argues that the motive to engage in education can be understood as an ancient human response to ecological change. This has led to a range of behaviours, including teaching and learning that serve only to further disrupt the relationship between the human and the "more-than-human" world. When formal education structures are viewed through a Marxian lens, it soon becomes clear that the unsustainable impact of humans on the more-than-human is the result of capitalist entrapment. Karl Marx's proposition of a "metabolic rift" helps make sense of the nonsensical, while a discussion of use and exchange value shows how formal education has become ensnared in the mire of capitalist productivity, concealing from view the educationally-induced destruction of planetary systems that support human flourishing. Fortunately, a more sustainable and sustaining education is possible -- this is an education for a "long-life" that is no longer influenced by the machinery of neoliberalism.

This ethnobiological study aims to document and discuss original knowledge that local people develop based on the climate, local ecology, culture, and tradition in order to sustain their society. An ethnobiological survey on Raji people was conducted in Uttarganga village of Surkhet in Western Nepal with a view to understanding what medicinal, animal and plant species the Raji community uses for treating different ailments, thereby exploring the traditional indigenous knowledge practiced by them. Data were collected through interviews with key informants (Dhami, Jhakri, and Gurau) and through group discussions. The study revealed that the Raji community has deep respect for its indigenous knowledge, such as biodiversity conservation, agricultural practice, medicinal practices for livelihood, yeast making practices, and art, craft, and technology. The implications of their worldview are then discussed within the context of higher education. In particular, we highlight the possibilities of using research like this to rethink curricula and pedagogy, as well as research and scholarship about higher education.

Jeff Norris, initially shocked by the Montessorians who are calling technology into question, states that technology can offer a means of development for the child who is concurrently supporting and learning from the rich and overpowering biodiversity of the rainforest. He speaks for the Children's Eternal Rainforest citizen's science as well as the combined visit to the United Nations' University for Peace offered by the Montessori Institute for the Science of Peace. He extols the three-period lesson and independent group research as useful, interpretive-learning approaches that awaken the interest of each student. A bibliography is included. [This paper was presented at the NAMTA conference titled "A Montessori Integrated Approach to Science, Mathematics, Technology, and the Environment" in Portland, OR, Mar 31-Apr 3, 2016.]

The aim of this research is to investigate student science teachers' opinions about the causes of degradation of ecosystems and the effects of such degradations on the environment. This research focuses on the following questions: What kind of descriptions do student science teachers ascribe to the reasons of degradation in ecosystems? What are the effects of ecosystem degradations on the environment? What are the misconceptions in relation to degradations in ecosystems? A total of 130 participating students, who were studying to become science teachers at Faculty of Education of Necmettin Erbakan University in Turkey, participated in this study. To reveal the participating students' opinions about the reasons for degradations in ecosystems and their effects on the environment, they were asked to answer two open questions: (1) What are the reasons for degradations in ecosystems? (2) What are the effects of degradations in ecosystems on the environment? The participants were asked to answer these two questions. Data obtained from the questions were analyzed and the frequencies of the answers were classified in different categories. Moreover, these included some misconceptions such as "the greenhouse effect can lead to skin cancer" and "ozone layer depletion leads to global warming". The findings are compared with related literature and suggestions are presented.

International businesses face a difficult task when trying to decide where to place or expand a business that could be located anywhere in the world. Each country is a complex system of human capabilities, technical systems, [infrastructure bases, laws, cultures and economic systems. How can a company know which country is best for it today, and even more importantly, which country will grow into an appropriate location for future business opportunities? Several studies offer insights into how to make site selection decisions (O'Farrell & Wood, 1994; Papadopoulos et al., 2002; Rothaermel et al., 2006) but the complexity of the data required makes initial analysis across many countries problematic. Most businesses, trying to predict an ideal country or sequence of countries to enter, are left to simple rules of thumb or decision models using limited criteria (Górecka & Szalucka, 2013; Alexander et al., 2011). A wide variety of country data of varying reliability and efficacy are frequently used (Rahman, 2003). Many of the largest companies have developed specialized teams with sophisticated models for site selection. However, for smaller companies finding reliable, consistently measured data they can interpret and analyze in ways that provide useful insights is a challenge. This article introduces the Social Progress Index, launched in April 2013 at the 10th annual Skoll World Forum held at the University of Oxford (The Origins, 2015). The Social Progress Index is unique because it is the most comprehensive framework developed for measuring social progress and the first to measure social progress independently of GDP or other economic variables (Porter, 2015; Keohane, 2015). Three cases have been chosen to demonstrate the usefulness of the Social Progress Index for site selection in three very different circumstances.

The purposes of this study were (1) to describe the biology learning such as lesson plans, teaching materials, media and worksheets for the tenth grade of High School on the topic of Biodiversity and Basic Classification, Ecosystems and Environment Issues based on local wisdom of Timorese; (2) to analyze the improvement of the environmental knowledge of students after being given instructional materials, media and worksheets for the tenth grade of High School on the topic of Biodiversity and Basic Classification, Ecosystems and Environmental Problems of East-based local knowledge; (3) to analyze the changes of students attitude after being given the biology learning material such as lesson plans, teaching materials, media and worksheets for the tenth grade of High School on the topic of Biodiversity and Basic Classification, Ecosystems and Environment Issues based on local wisdom of Timorese. This study uses Research and Development (R & D) methods which consists of three phases of research. The first step is the analysis of necessity, the second step is designing and validating the learning product, the third step is the experiment to see the effectiveness of the material in improving the environment knowledge and attitude of students in preservation of the environment. The result shows that: (1) The products such as Lesson Plan (RPP), grade tenth Biology textbook with Local Indigenous of Timorese for teachers and students, Student worksheet (LKS), learning media such as a micro director for Biodiversity materials, power point for each Biodiversity, Ecology and Environmental Science materials, Biodiversity map media and Puzzles ecosystem after being validated and tested-piloted turns valid and practical; (2) The results of the experiment in tenth grade of Bio 2 SMAN 1 Kupang Barat shows that that there is a difference in student achievement before and after the use of learning material are developed; (3) The experimental results for the attitude of the students in the tenth grade of SMAN 1 Kupang shows that there is a difference in students' attitudes before and after the use of learning developed material.

Alarming declines in biodiversity have encouraged scientists to begin promoting the idea of the services ecosystems offer to humans in order to gain support for conservation. The concept of ecosystem services is designed to communicate societal dependence on various natural ecosystems. Schools play an important role in educating students to be active and responsible towards the environment. A questionnaire testing for the influence of different types of environmental concern on attitudes to forest ecosystem services was completed by 410 Slovenian secondary school students in north-western Slovenia. The students' attitudes to forest ecosystem services were investigated via 15 statements about provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural services. The student's environmental concern was investigated using a questionnaire of 12 items. Results from the survey provide evidence that students' concerns for the consequences of environmental damage formed three correlated factors centred around the self and family, all people and the biosphere. Students' most highly valued environmental concern was for the biosphere, followed by concern for self and family, and concern for all the people. Female students were notably more concerned for all people and for the biosphere. However, all students, regardless of the type of environmental concern, prioritise the different benefits obtained from regulating and supporting ecosystem services. The importance placed on different provisioning and cultural services varies among students with different types of environmental concerns. The students' frequency of direct experiences being in the forest has a significant positive impact on the values they assigned to cultural services in particular. Education about ecosystem services could be an effective means of communicating the significance of various ecosystems and our dependence on ecological life support systems. By using ecosystem services frameworks students can learn about and value ecosystem structure and functions, as well as better evaluate human activities that are associated with them. Using ecosystem services frameworks and elaborated types of environmental concerns can help educators emphasize the attitudes/needs/rights of an individual and of a society to discuss these socio-scientific issues in a cooperative learning environment. Biodiversity education should not overlook cultural ecosystem services and address them in terms of changing human values and sustainability.

The assessment of water resources plays an important environmental and economic role, since it allows developing an effective program of regional development with regard to the environmental load. The hydro-chemical regime of lakes includes water temperature, content of biogenic elements, total mineralization, oxygen regime, and other parameters (transparency, color, and smell). However, this assessment cannot be considered full, since it does not take into account the effect of human activity. Therefore, various systems of water monitoring have been developed, one of which is the assessment of zooplankton. The state of zooplankton is a universal marker. The quantitative and qualitative assessment allows monitoring the physical and chemical state of water resources and assessing their bio-production potential. This research investigated zooplankton communities in lakes Aksuat, Altybai and Taly (Kostanay Region, Kazakhstan). The qualitative composition and dominant species of zooplankton was determined; their population dynamic was monitored. The oxygen regime of lakes remained stable; no oxygen deficiency was found. The lakes have favorable conditions for the development of zooplankton. This also provides favorable conditions for commercial fish farming if the main diet of fish is zooplankton.

In this article the principle investigators of the various projects that comprise Aggie STEM at Texas A&M University discuss the impact and cross pollination of having graduate students from Turkey working and conducting their research as part of the multi-college Aggie STEM project. Turkish students have been engaged in instrumental roles since the inception of Aggie STEM and its growth as a tightly intertwined multi-national and ubiquitous STEM entity. The influence of Turkish students has spanned the entire gamut, from app development, which preceded the trend at the beginning of the new millennium, to innovative curricula and pedagogies that became enculturated into everyday life. Perhaps the greatest contribution offered by the scholars is that, as students, they engaged broadly in research, published prolifically and continue in these activities as they assumed the mantle of leadership as tenure track professors, administrators, policy makers, and program officers in the U.S. and throughout the world.