Making the Case for Place-Based Experiental Learning Near Protected Areas

Protected areas such as national parks and national wildlife refuges provide nearby communities with opportunities to connect to their local flora, fauna, and landscapes. Studies have shown that the success of protected areas management depends upon the environmental awareness of the people living adjacent to the protected area. When neighboring communities do not understand the importance of conservation, activities such as wildlife poaching and deforestation can occur. Thus, it is important for community members living near protected areas to learn about wildlife conservation and other environmental issues. When youth receive place-based environmental education, they are more likely to take action to conserve their local protected areas and to pass on their knowledge to their adult family members.

This study looked at a particular protected area in Greece and explored the potential effects of low environmental education rates by assessing local students' knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes regarding native species and local environmental issues.

Zakynthos Island, a small landmass in western Greece, is an ecologically unique area that is a nesting site for a sea birds and Loggerhead sea turtles. Zakynthos Island is home to one of Greece's two National Marine Parks (NMP), where the sea turtles and sea birds are protected by federal law. Education rates are particularly low in on Zakynthos, and 16% of 18-24 year-olds leave school before completing a compulsory high school education.

The authors distributed a 17-question survey to elementary and secondary school students on Zakynthos. The researchers categorized the 22 primary schools and 11 secondary schools on the island into three geographic groups: submountainous, agricultural, and urban. While maintaining a roughly even number of schools from each geographic region, the researchers randomly surveyed students from 13 of the 22 primary schools and 9 of the 11 secondary schools for a total of 439 participants. The first part of the survey concerned the NMP that is part of Zakynthos Island and included questions regarding students' ecological and conservation knowledge of sea turtles and sea birds. Questions also assessed students' environmental habits (such as recycling and saving energy) and one question regarding students' knowledge of environmental legislation specific to the island. Finally, the survey asked about students' former participation and willingness to participate in environmental education activities. The data were analyzed using statistical analyses to determine overall environmental knowledge and awareness levels. In an effort to determine where knowledge and awareness rates where the highest and lowest, the researchers also explored the differences between boys and girls, between primary and secondary school students, and between students from different parts of the island.

Overall, the survey results showed high interest in the ecology of Zakynthos Island and the NMP among both primary and secondary student participants. Over 80% of students were willing to take a formal environmental education course. Results also showed that about a quarter of participants lacked knowledge regarding the ecological importance of Zakynthos Island for migratory birds. However, secondary school participants were more knowledgeable on this topic and on all other environmental topics compared to primary school students. While not an unexpected finding, it shows that students' environmental knowledge improved with additional education.

Analyses of gender differences showed that girls were slightly more interested in conservation issues than boys. In addition, girls talked about environmental issues with their families more often than boys. This finding was in line with the results of similar studies, where environmental education practitioners observed that girls tend to exhibit more eco-centric attitudes and behaviors than boys, especially during the adolescent years.

Participants from the city and plains region of Zakynthos Island tended to have higher rates of general environmental knowledge than those from the mountainous part of the island. In fact, many students from the mountainous parts of Zakynthos (much of which is on the opposite side of the island from the NMP) were not even aware of the existence of the NMP. However, participant students from the mountainous region knew more about the conservation value of the island for migratory sea birds than students from other regions concerning. The authors note that this is likely a product of lower development and higher biodiversity in the mountainous region. Students in the mountainous region likely encountered more sea birds as they migrated and nested in more rural areas. Finally, participants with former experience in environmental education programs at the schools were more sensitive to environmental issues and more willing to discuss environmental topics with their families.

Students in the classes that were selected to participate in the study were not obligated to fill out the survey. Some students did not participate and the survey was not completely representative of the surveyed classrooms. In addition, the researchers did not confirm the students' answers with a more reliable source such as a parent, which is important when young children take surveys. The study could be improved if the students' family members were also surveyed, which would allow the researchers to confirm the students' answers.

The authors recommend more educational experiences in protected areas to improve students' knowledge and attitudes towards the environment and thus promote conservation of protected areas. Finally, the authors recommend using environmental education programs for youth as a way to pass on knowledge to adults, as students will share the information they learn with their parents and other family members.