Linking biodiversity conservation and education: perspectives from education programmes in Madagascar

Education is used to foster supportive behaviour for conservation. This paper examines how environmental education is implemented in Madagascar, and its potential for conservation. These reflections are based on literature insights and in-depth experiences from the field.. We found that environmental education is only marginally integrated in the national curriculum and NGOs are the primary promoters. Evaluation methods focus on quantifying short-term changes in knowledge and attitudes, and interventions fail to integrate local knowledge, values and needs. We call for researchers to examine the long-term impacts, on governmental commitment and support, and for future interventions to be inclusive and locally meaningful. Resume L'education est un moyen utilise pour encourager les comportements favorables a la conservation, en particulier dans les communautes locales vivant autour des aires protegees. A partir de la litterature et d’experiences sur le terrain, cette contribution examine les manieres dont l'education environnementale est mise en œuvre a Madagascar, et son potentiel dans la conservation. Il a ete constate que, dans le cadre des ecoles primaires, l'education environnementale n’est integree que de facon marginale dans le curriculum, et les ONG sont les principaux acteurs qui promeuvent l'education environnementale. Le principal cible les eleves pour conduire des activites dans le cadre strictement scolaire avec peu de visites dans les aires protegees. Les methodes d'evaluation se concentrent sur la quantification des changements a court terme dans les connaissances et les attitudes, et non dans les comportements. Les interventions ne parviennent pas a integrer les connaissances, les valeurs et les besoins locaux. L'influence de l'education sur le succes de la conservation reste floue, de sorte qu’il est propose que la recherche examine egalement les impacts qualitatifs et comportementaux a long terme des interventions educatives, l’engagement et le soutien du gouvernement national, et que les futures interventions soient inclusives et significatives au niveau local.

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