Educação ambiental em unidades de conservação: vivências educativas em escolas do entorno do Parque Estadual Mata do Pau-Ferro (Areia/PB)

Abstract

The protected areas are the most effective and economic global tool for biodiversity conservation by contributing to the preservation and conservation of environmental resources, and had its propagation due to the indiscriminate devastation caused by man. Thus, there is a strong need to sensitize people to the importance of preservation and conservation of the environment through environmental education that is defined as a process by which the individual and the collectivity build new social values, knowledge, skills, attitudes and abilities for the conservation of the environment, in order to improve the quality of life and its sustainability. Given the facts above, this research aims to contribute to the establishment of an educational process with the school community through environmental education, in order to show the importance of Pau Ferro State Park for biodiversity conservation, as well as to analyze the environmental perception of two schools in Areia, Paraíba on the Conservation Unit, to promote eco-educational workshops, to raise awareness among students of the Elementary School about the importance of biodiversity conservation emphasizing the role of protected areas in this process, to perform playful and pedagogical activities with the actors involved through environmental issues guided by the Conservation Unit, to stimulate the production of teaching materials so that it can contribute to the development of environmental education programs focusing on the conservation area, aimed at a greater awareness of the actors involved, to develop environmental studies and trails in Pau Ferro State Park with students and teachers in order to sensitize them to the real conservation of this area. To achieve these goals, it was necessary to go through three stages: the first stage being a pre-test, in order to understand the perceptions of students about the environment, conservation unit, biodiversity and environmental education; the second step concerns the pedagogical workshops whose goal was to provide knowledge to participants related to the research of environmental issues guided by the Conservation Unit. And the third step was a post-test designed to see whether the participants had a change of perception of the environment in relation to thematic Atlantic Forest and its environmental problems. With the results we have seen then, a change of perception of the students about environmental issues, as well as a higher level of understanding of the concepts related to these issues. Finally, it is hoped that the findings will help to promote a process of awareness in order to establish a different kind of its use by the society causing a minimal impact on natural resources, besides leading the school community to adopt environmental education practices incorporating the Unity Conservation of Pau Ferro State Park in their daily activities within the curriculum. As well as raising awareness among social actors about the importance of biodiversity by emphasizing the role of protected areas in this process.