Planning education to care for the earth - IUCN Knowledge Network

ForewordMy introduction to IUCN - The World Conservation Union, was at theGeneral Assembly held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in January 1994. I hadjust been designated Director General of the Union. I found it enormouslystimulating to join delegates from all parts of the world - from governmentsand non-government organisations alike - as they debated, discussed andplanned ways to care for the earth and its peoples. Their energy, sense ofcommitment, and enthusiasm impressed me and fired up my own enthusiasmfor the job before me.Three months later, in assuming office as Director-General, I took up thechallenge of working to forge that energy and commitment into a morepowerful force for conservation. This meant further stimulating the alliancebetween IUCN members, the voluntary expert networks we callCommissions, and the secretariat. It seems very apparent that only whenthese three “pillars” are interlocking, that we have the underpinning theUnion needs to take on the daunting environmental tasks we have before us.I feel strongly that if we are to stand a chance of addressing the world’scomplex environmental problems, we have to motivate public participationin caring for the earth, while meeting the development needs of people. It isnow universally recognised that education and communication are essentialtools in making this ideal of “conservation and sustainable development” areality and a part of popular thinking, acting and doing. That, at least, is thetheory. As always, the practice is not so obvious.The interface between theory and practice is exactly what IUCN was lookingat in Buenos Aires, where workshops provided an opportunity to share andanalyse international experiences based on the principles embodied inCaring for the Earth, A Strategy for Sustainable Living. To explore one ofthese principles, that we need to change personal attitudes and practices inorder to care for the earth, IUCN’s Commission on Education andCommunication organized a workshop entitled “Changing attitudes andpractices”. This book is a direct result of the papers presented at thatworkshop.The book has three sections: the first seeks to provide some bases forplanning education and communication, the second looks at NGO educationprogrammes, and the third at planning education at the national level.Thus, these sections play to one of IUCN’s unique strengths: its ability tobring together government and NGO organisations behind the banner ofconservation. No other organisation has NGOs, national governments, andgovernmental organisations as its members. But in order to get thegovernments and NGOs to really work together, we must recognize that eachhas different needs and different capacities. While NGOs may be critical ofgovernment action at times - and often rightly so - , they also have much tooffer governments in a positive sense. NGOs are good facilitators infostering community participation in environmental work, a role someviii