Conservation and Sustainable Use of the Biosphere - WBGU

Environmental education and environmental learning I 2.5
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also become established in a number of social science
subjects. Nevertheless, the comprehensive aspects of
biological diversity and its functions as discussed in
this report hardly play any role in the subject matter
taught (Bolscho et al, 1994; Mayer, 1995; de Haan et
al, 1997; Lob, 1997).
I 2.5.2
Environmental education and biosphere
conservation
In all conventions related to the environment and climate
thus far attention has been drawn to the need
for education and training in order to achieve the
objectives of the conventions. In the Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD) this reference is rather
meagrely expressed in Article 13. However, at the 4th
Conference of the Parties to the CBD an extensive
workshop on this topic took place; some countries,
such as Canada, for example, submitted initial proposals
and case studies on the topic ‘Learning about
biodiversity’ (1998).
This (as yet) secondary importance of perception,
evaluation and learning processes within society is
reflected in opinion polls. The worldwide loss of biological
diversity is given little regard in the public eye
compared with other environmental issues such as
‘climate change’ or ‘the hole in the ozone layer’. It
has hardly been taken up by the media at all and
therefore has not really penetrated into most
people’s awareness, even though the issues have been
discussed intensely among experts for some years.
Even a topic that is addressed in the media frequently
such as destruction of tropical rainforests
which with the associated destruction of habitats is
one of the core causes for the loss of biological diversity,
is categorized as a climate change problem in the
public mind.
The issue of biological diversity has various difficulties
that may act as barriers to achieving appropriate
levels of public attention.
If a species of plant or animal becomes extinct in
some ecosystem, no one feels directly threatened by
it. At first glance, unlike with climate change, there is
no threat to one’s own health or life. The link to
everyday life and survival is not directly clear to most
people and given other problems such as transport
problems, energy consumption, demand for ecological
products, etc in which the public has an important
role to play, the importance of this issue becomes
even less clear.
The diverse interactions between components of
the biosphere, hydrosphere, pedosphere, etc that can
lead to the threat or loss of biological diversity are
complex and cannot be understood at first glance.
Above all, given this complexity, it is not obvious
what implications the loss of biological diversity can
have for humankind (Sections D 1 and 2 ). Furthermore,
the topic relates to a host of very different
ecosystems worldwide that even without the particular
situation of ‘extinction’ would not be familiar to
most people.
The loss of species is a worldwide phenomenon,
but its impact is not felt everywhere. In some cases
we are talking about species of whose existence the
public is first made aware when the announcement is
issued that they have become extinct (Sections
E 2.2–2.4.). Many species that are at home in far flung
ecosystems have never existed as far as the public is
concerned. But even the extinction of domestic
species remains hidden to many since the process
progresses insidiously with people for example getting
used to the fact that they are encountering fewer
and fewer marsh marigolds. Apart from this effect of
habituation, at least in Western Europe, only a small
section of the population really has regular encounters
with nature nowadays and thus the opportunity
to even notice that certain species of animals and
plants are disappearing.The vast majority of the public
lives in urban habitats where the plant and animal
diversity is generally not threatened with extinction
(Section E 3.8)
As a result of the complex and multilayered
nature of this topic and, at least at first glance, the
lack of a link to everyday life, it is not easy to communicate
the importance and the context of the loss
of biological diversity. What makes it even more difficult
is the fact that this issue cannot be dealt with
adequately without consideration of ethical questions
since no normative protective demands have as
yet been derived from the description of ecosystem
functions (Chapter H).
The topic ‘loss of biological diversity’ and the conservation
of the biosphere could run the risk of not
being taken seriously, of just being more pessimistic
cries from the ‘environmental hysterics’. It therefore
appears imperative to demonstrate the way this topic
is linked to other ecological issues and not necessarily
highlight the discovery or solution of a completely
new, unexpected danger. Notwithstanding all of the
urgently necessary preventive measures and adjustments
for other problems that have been in discussion
for a longer time (climate change, the consequences
of emissions and large material flows, etc)
the linkage to the preservation and loss of biological
diversity must be shown and integrated into the
development of sustainable lifestyles.
Environmental education is a central instrument
of environmental policy and must react to the difficulties
outlined above and, as soon as possible, find