The role of education in biodiversity conservation: Can knowledge and understanding alter locals’ views and attitudes towards ecosystem services?

Figures & data

Figure 1. Serengeti ecosystem showing the six study schools indicated with black dots: Loliondo, Emanyata, Soitsambu, Samunge, Digodigo and Lake Natron, located in northern Tanzania (main map). A map of Tanzania (inserted to the lower left) shows the location of the Serengeti ecosystem in northern Tanzania.

Table 1 . Percentage of the students who answered the question ‘What are ecosystem services?’ correct pre-test versus posttest¹. We report parameter estimates from chi-square tests.

What are ecosystem services?	Pre-test % correct	Post-test % correct	% change	χ2	P
Human made services from nature that will always exist	35.0	80.6	45.6	75.4	<0.001
Benefits that nature provides to humans for free	61.7	90.3	28.6	39.6	<0.001
Human-initiated services	75.6	92.0	16.4	17.6	<0.001
N	180	175

Table 2. Percentage of the students who identified ecosystem services and non-ecosystem services correctly pre-test and post-test. We report the percentage change in correct answers from pre- to post-test and parameter estimates from chi-tests assessing whether this change was larger than expected.

Which service nature provides?	Pre-test % correct	Post-test % correct	% change	χ2	P
Food	70.6	90.1*	19.5	20.9	<0.001
Water	73.9	86.3	12.4	8.52	0.004
Timber	69.4	85.1**	15.7	12.2	<0.001
Firewood	69.4	80.6	11.2	5.85	0.016
Medicines	73.9	84.6	10.7	6.14	0.013
Grazing	58.9	72.0	13.1	6.74	0.009
Land for settlement	62.8	84.6	21.8	21.6	<0.001
Air balloon	82.2	92.6	10.4	8.59	0.003
Tourism	24.4	72.0	47.6	80.4	<0.001
Pollution	85.0	94.9	9.9	9.46	0.002
N	180	175

* sample size 171 and ^**sample size 174 due to missing values

Table 3 . Percentage of the students who identified consequences of human population growth correctly pre-test and post-test.

Consequences of human population growth	Pre-test % correct	Post-test % correct	% change	χ2	P
Land use change	58.3	69.3	11.0	4.99	0.026
More cattle	32.8	54.3	21.5	16.7	<0.001
N	180	175

Table 4. Percentage of respondents who answered correctly to the following alternatives from the question: ‘What are threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services?’ correctly pre-test and post-test.

Answer	Pre-test % correct	Post-test % correct	% change	χ2	P
Climate change, drought	87.2	77.7	−9.5	5.57	0.018
Human population growth, infrastructure development	53.9	82.9	29	34.3	<0.001
Wildlife	75.0	87.4	12.4	8.95	0.003
Carnivores	68.9	92.0	23.1	29.9	<0.001
N	180	175

Table 5. Percentage of respondents who answered correctly to the alternatives from the question ‘What are threats to ecosystem services?’ pre-test and post-test.

Question	Pre-test % correct	Post-test % correct	% change	χ2	P
Unpredictable weather	91.1	80.5	−10.6	8.28	0.004
Overexploitation of resources due to human population growth	83.7*	93.1*	9.4	7.65	0.006
Human diseases	38.8*	51.7	12.9	5.97	0.015
Schools and education	92.8	79.4*	−13.4	13.3	<0.001
Protected areas	88.3**	69.0	−19.3	19.6	<0.001
N	180	174

* sample size 175, 178 and ^**sample size 179 due to missing values

Table 6. Percentage of respondents who answered ‘yes’ to statements about nature and ecosystem services pre-test and post-test.

Statement	Pre-test % yes	Post-test % yes	% change	χ2	P
Ecosystem services are mostly here for human use	78.3	88.0	9.7	5.90	0.015
It is not important for me to protect ecosystem services	3.4*	8.6	5.2	4.32	0.038
I think it is important to share knowledge about ecosystem services	100.0	97.1	−2.9	5.22	0.022
N	180	175