Environmental Education in the Condor Bioreserve

Abstract

Effective conservation rests on an educated population. This chapter describes the status of environmental education programs in the Condor Bioreserve (CBR), Ecuador and makes recommendations for expansion of educational efforts. The major programs that are currently in place include the community park guard system, the Andean Bear Project, and workshops and networks established by the US Department of Interior and The Nature Conservancy. Most environmental education in the CBR is focused on community participation in natural resource management, and there is a relatively small amount of attention devoted to programs for teachers and children. Major recommendations include defining common goals, increasing environmental education efforts in schools, offering teacher training, developing monitoring and assessment protocols, and expanding educational efforts outside of the CBR. The paper links recommendations for improvements in environmental education in the CBR to lessons learned through research and education programs elsewhere in the world.

Key Words:

• Environmental education
• teachers
• students
• school programs
• community park guards
• Andean bear conservation
• assessment
• community-based conservation
• Ecuador
• Andes