Can Environmental Education Actions Change Public Attitudes? An Example Using the Pond Habitat and Associated Biodiversity.
Can Environmental Education Actions Change Public Attitudes? An Example Using the Pond Habitat and Associated Biodiversity.
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DOI：
10.1371/journal.pone.0154440
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发表时间：
2016
期刊：
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Teixeira J
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Sousa E;Quintino V;Palhas J;Rodrigues AM;Teixeira J
池塘提供重要的生态服务。它们是生物多样性的热点，也是稀有和濒危物种的重要繁殖地，包括两栖动物和蜻蜓。然而，由于人类活动造成的栖息地退化，它们的数量正在减少。开发了“池塘与生命”环境教育项目，通过促进公众与自然、研究人员和教学实践探索活动的直接接触，提高公众对池塘研究的认识和参与。项目实施前进行了调查，以评估项目对15至18岁在校学生的环境意识、对池塘的知识和态度变化以及相关生物多样性的影响。调查问题基于Likert量表，他们在项目实施前的比较采用了创新的多元假设检验方法。结果表明，该项目提高了学生对池塘和相关生物多样性，特别是两栖动物的知识和态度。在城市地区可以找到或建造池塘，尽管面积很小，但它们被证明是促进环境教育的有趣的模式栖息地和活实验室，因为它包含了大量的物种和快速的生态演替。
Ponds provide vital ecological services. They are biodiversity hotspots and important breading sites for rare and endangered species, including amphibians and dragonflies. Nevertheless, their number is decreasing due to habitat degradation caused by human activities. The “Ponds with Life” environmental education project was developed to raise public awareness and engagement in the study of ponds by promoting the direct contact between the public and nature, researchers and pedagogical hands-on exploration activities. A pre-post- project survey was set-up to assess the effects of the project on the environmental consciousness, knowledge and attitude changes towards ponds and the associated biodiversity of school students aged 15 to 18. The survey questions were based on Likert scales and their pre-post project comparisons used an innovative multivariate hypothesis testing approach. The results showed that the project improved the students’ knowledge and attitudes towards ponds and associated biodiversity, especially the amphibians. Ponds can be found or constructed in urban areas and despite small sized, they proved to be interesting model habitats and living laboratories to foster environmental education, by encompassing a high number of species and a fast ecological succession.