Plant blindness: a faddish research interest or a substantive impediment to achieve sustainable development goals?

Abstract

Plant blindness is an important phenomenon with a growing body of literature. According to researchers, the educational system is listed both among the causes and solutions to this issue. Therefore, previous work regarding this matter has mainly focused on the educational context. While sustainable development is a top priority for every modern society, it has not yet been established whether plant blindness can be a substantive impediment towards this direction. This paper is an attempt to examine any significant relation between this phenomenon and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as these are determined by the United Nations. Through an in-depth, narrative literature review, we show that plant blindness should not be examined lightly as just a differentiation in preference regarding plants and animals. Ignoring flora can be an opposing factor to environmental balance and directly hinder the achievement of the vast majority of SDGs. In that context, the restriction of plant blindness becomes a vital issue for the scientific community and the policy makers. Moreover, sustainable education steps in as the main social process for changing perceptions and dealing with this kind of challenges, but through a modern perspective of place-based education, collective consciousness and vital coalitions of stakeholders.

Keywords:

• Plants
• sustainable development goals (SDGs)
• plant blindness
• attitudes
• education for sustainable development

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Alexandros Amprazis

Amprazis Alexandros is a PhD student in biological education, in University of Western Macedonia, Greece. He has a bachelor's degree in Agriculture from the School of Agriculture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) and a Master Degree from the Department of Early Childhood Education of the University of Western Macedonia. His research interests focus on plant biology education, on the plant blindness phenomenon and on theory and practice of Environmental Education/Education for Sustainability. He has published papers regarding plant blindness in international journals, as well as in proceedings of Greek and international conferences.

Penelope Papadopoulou

Penelope Papadopoulou is an Associate Professor in biological education, in University of Western Macedonia, Greece. She has a bachelor's degree in Biology from the School of Science of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) and a PhD from the Department of Primary Education of the same University. She has taught courses in-service Teachers' Education Programs (Department of Primary Education - AUTH and Early Childhood Teachers' Education - AUTH) and in many others teachers' training programs. Her research interests focus on teaching basic biological concepts in preschool and compulsory education, on theory and practice of Environmental Education/Education for Sustainability in compulsory education, on in-service teachers' training in science and on issues of teaching and learning evolution theory. She has published more than 120 papers in international and Greek journals, in collective volumes, as well as in proceedings of Greek and international conferences. She participated in research projects concerning teaching of Science and Environmental Education/Education for Sustainability. She is also the chair of the master's Program “Educational Sciences: Science, Environment and Technology in Education”, at the University of Western Macedonia, Greece.