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Conservation and Sustainable Use of the Biosphere - WBGU

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Environmental education <strong>and</strong> environmental learning I 2.5<br />

329<br />

• Special informational programmes should be<br />

developed <strong>and</strong> exp<strong>and</strong>ed for tourists who <strong>of</strong>ten<br />

without knowing it are supporting <strong>the</strong> trade in<br />

endangered species.<br />

• For consumers who by virtue <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir dem<strong>and</strong> are<br />

responsible for <strong>the</strong> extinction <strong>of</strong> certain species –<br />

with due consideration for culture-specific consumption<br />

patterns – programmes must be developed<br />

to create incentives for renunciation or<br />

extensive restrictions <strong>of</strong> certain food habits. Also<br />

exp<strong>and</strong>ing existing legal sanction options, eg<br />

within <strong>the</strong> CITES regime, must be examined. An<br />

example for dem<strong>and</strong> patterns with damaging consequences<br />

is <strong>the</strong> consumption <strong>of</strong> fish caught alive<br />

(by use <strong>of</strong> potassium cyanide) which is considered<br />

a status symbol in wealthy Chinese families in<br />

Hong Kong <strong>and</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r Asian countries (Section<br />

E 2.4). Also, <strong>the</strong> fact that certain parts <strong>of</strong> animals<br />

are desirable in some traditional Asian medicine<br />

(tiger bone, <strong>the</strong> horn <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> black rhinoceros) has<br />

contributed to <strong>the</strong> dramatic decline in <strong>the</strong>se populations<br />

(D 3.1).<br />

• Local NGOs have an important role to play in<br />

changing behaviour patterns that are damaging to<br />

<strong>the</strong> biosphere <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir efforts are in need <strong>of</strong> support.<br />

They <strong>of</strong>ten contact groups <strong>and</strong> act in ‘learning<br />

contexts’ that are not reached by formal educational<br />

programmes. In addition to financial support,<br />

it is usually not content that is required, but<br />

ra<strong>the</strong>r <strong>of</strong>ferings relating to learning techniques,<br />

communication strategies, project planning methods,<br />

methods for self-organized learning <strong>and</strong> participation.<br />

• At <strong>the</strong> hotspots <strong>of</strong> biological diversity it is urgently<br />

necessary for appropriate educational activities to<br />

be streng<strong>the</strong>ned <strong>and</strong> exp<strong>and</strong>ed.Above all, promotion<br />

<strong>of</strong> participatory conservation projects should<br />

be planned with particular consideration <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

potential <strong>of</strong> NGOs.<br />

<strong>Biosphere</strong> reserves as particular learning<br />

contexts with different target groups<br />

UNESCO’s biosphere reserves are particularly<br />

suited to educational <strong>and</strong> learning processes since<br />

conservation <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> use <strong>of</strong> particularly valuable<br />

ecosystems must be integrated toge<strong>the</strong>r with <strong>the</strong><br />

local population. The three zones <strong>of</strong> biosphere<br />

reserves (core, buffer <strong>and</strong> transition zones) call for<br />

different concepts <strong>of</strong> use <strong>and</strong> conservation that have<br />

to be realized by different players (biosphere reserve<br />

management, l<strong>and</strong> owners, farmers <strong>and</strong> foresters,<br />

hunting reserve owners, inhabitants, tourists, conservation<br />

organizations, etc). Here, it is necessary to<br />

articulate <strong>and</strong> negotiate economic, ecological <strong>and</strong><br />

social interests <strong>and</strong> claims. The 356 biosphere<br />

reserves in 90 countries (as at January 1999) which<br />

according to <strong>the</strong> UNESCO definition should also<br />

serve an educational purpose provide an excellent<br />

opportunity to link educational <strong>and</strong> learning programmes<br />

<strong>and</strong> for an exchange <strong>of</strong> experiences to take<br />

place.<br />

Training <strong>the</strong> trainers<br />

A fundamental prerequisite for target-group specific<br />

education for <strong>the</strong> conservation <strong>of</strong> biological diversity<br />

is <strong>the</strong> careful training <strong>of</strong> educational personnel. The<br />

appropriate concepts must form an integral part <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> pr<strong>of</strong>essional training <strong>of</strong> teachers. Teachers that<br />

are already practising <strong>the</strong>ir pr<strong>of</strong>ession must take<br />

advantage <strong>of</strong> relevant fur<strong>the</strong>r training. In that context<br />

it should be examined where effective support<br />

can be given for such educational measures in countries<br />

with high biological diversity.<br />

I 2.5.5<br />

Measures for ‘learning’ sustainable lifestyles<br />

Alongside environmental educational measures that<br />

promote a knowledge, experience <strong>and</strong> value-oriented<br />

encounter with <strong>the</strong> biosphere <strong>and</strong> biological<br />

diversity, it is also necessary to take targeted measures<br />

to promote environmentally friendly actions<br />

that can be effective in <strong>the</strong> concrete every day lives <strong>of</strong><br />

individuals <strong>and</strong> groups. L<strong>and</strong>scape consumption <strong>and</strong><br />

pollution <strong>of</strong> natural environments are driving forces<br />

for biodiversity loss. In <strong>the</strong> countries <strong>of</strong> South America<br />

<strong>and</strong> Asia <strong>the</strong> felling <strong>of</strong> large areas <strong>of</strong> forests, in<br />

tropical coastal regions <strong>the</strong> l<strong>and</strong>scape consumption<br />

via <strong>the</strong> destruction <strong>and</strong> conversion <strong>of</strong> natural coastal<br />

ecosystems (eg mangroves, corals), in Europe l<strong>and</strong>scape<br />

consumption in <strong>the</strong> form <strong>of</strong> agriculture are<br />

important causes for <strong>the</strong> impairment <strong>of</strong> biological<br />

diversity (BfN, 1997a). The patterns <strong>of</strong> action associated<br />

with such processes <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> driving forces on<br />

which <strong>the</strong>y are based are complex <strong>and</strong> vary from<br />

region to region. This complexity is reflected in <strong>the</strong><br />

Council’s syndrome concept, here particularly in <strong>the</strong><br />

Overexploitation Syndrome, <strong>the</strong> Aral Sea Syndrome<br />

<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Dust Bowl Syndrome (Chapter G). A large<br />

number <strong>of</strong> measures must be developed, deployed<br />

<strong>and</strong> evaluated to solve <strong>the</strong> problems (Section I 3 <strong>and</strong><br />

Chapter K).<br />

By way <strong>of</strong> example we will look more closely at<br />

<strong>the</strong> potential for change in <strong>the</strong> consumption decisions<br />

<strong>of</strong> individuals (use <strong>of</strong> foods), <strong>and</strong> take <strong>the</strong> case<br />

<strong>of</strong> Europe where l<strong>and</strong>scape consumption <strong>and</strong> pollutant<br />

inputs are relevant in <strong>the</strong> day-to-day activities <strong>of</strong><br />

consumers in <strong>the</strong> consumption <strong>of</strong> foodstuffs from<br />

‘conventional’ farming. One could similarly look at<br />

<strong>the</strong> reduction <strong>of</strong> paper consumption. In <strong>the</strong> social sciences<br />

a number <strong>of</strong> measures have been developed by

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