Building teachers capacity in biodiversity: Enhancing teachers’ awareness and knowledge of biodiversity across the Malaysian secondary school curriculum Munirah Ghazali1, 2, *, Mohammad Zohir Ahmad1, 2, Nur Syazwana Hamzah1; and Wan Sharipahmira Mohd Zain1 1RCE Penang, Universiti Sains Malaysia 2School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia E-mail: munirah@usm.my* Abstract-The importance of biodiversity, or biological diversity, for sustainable development is the basis of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 2010 and subsequently recognized by the UN in goal 15 of the SDGs. Schools play a key role in ensuring that biodiversity concepts are taught in the curriculum, but also that students develop values and increase their capacities to preserve biological diversity. Teachers play a vital role in developing students’ values and increase their capacities to preserve biological diversity. However teachers should be knowledgeable about biodiversity and biodiversity related element and have skills in order to successfully integrate in teaching. This paper will describe a teachers’ professional program with the aim of increasing their awareness and knowledge on biodiversity. This program was developed to assist secondary education teachers, from different subject areas, in embedding features of biodiversity across the school curriculum. The main aim of the program is to reorient the learning experience and the skills teachers develop, so they can think and act in support of ways of integrating biodiversity in their subjects. Keywords: biodiversity, teachers’ professional program, teachers awareness, teachers knowledge, capacity building INTRODUCTION Malaysia is widely known as the one of the world’s mega diversity countries. Malaysia’s ecosystem is full of variety of plants and animal. Biodiversity provides essential ecological services to the nation in order to ensure we are able to enjoy fresh air, clean water and healthy ecosystem. It is important to the Malaysia citizen to conserve the biodiversity in Malaysia. According to Malaysia’s National Policy on Biological Diversity principles, public awareness and education play an important role to ensure the conservation of 168 Proceedings of the International Conference on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Policy and Practice 27-29 June 2016, Cha-am, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Proceedings of International Conference on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for the Sustainable Development Goals : Policy and Practice 27-29 June 2016 at the Sirindhorn International Environmental Park, Cha-am, Phetchaburi, Thailand
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