A for awareness, action, action research. Education as a Vehicle for Behavioural Change The decade 2005-2014 was selected as the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. The aim was “to promote education as the basis for a more sustainable human society and integrate sustainable development into education systems at all levels”. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), sometimes called Education for Sustainable Living (ESL) or Education for Sustainability (EfS), evolved partially out of Environmental Education (EE) and is one of the ways in which information on how to achieve a more sustainable way of living has been disseminated among wide portions of society in many countries. Environmental education was first propounded in the Belgrade Chapter (UNESCO-UNEP 1976) with the goal of “a world population aware and concerned about the environment and associated problems and which has the knowledge, skills, attitudes, motivations, and commitment to work individually and collectively toward solutions for current problems and prevention of new ones”. Even though growing public awareness about environmental issues is evident, lack of adequate environmental knowledge can play a big role as an obstacle towards achieving a sustainable future for humankind at both global and local scales. There is urgent need for effective mass communication strategies to create environmental awareness among the rural people in the world. Proper education and awareness campaigns regarding the importance of Biodiversity and environmental issues are vital to enhance the protection and wise use of natural resources, and to reach a sustainable f u tu r e in any commu n it y. Th i s study distinguishes and relates environmental awareness and environmental education, and the affects that how they are successfully implemented. Environmental Education in Children: Childhood is perhaps the age that fathers the most important memories in a person’s l ife. Mos t adul ts retain and unconsciously use information commencing from upbringing experiences. It is during this early stage where personality begins to take form. Almost everything that children learn is provided in different ways by the outside world. The natural environment is a significant component in this learning process. Children are very emotional and sensitive about everything they learn. They can easily be attracted or repelled by any topic. Environmental education must not be presented to them with a sense of doom or disaster so they don’t avoid or dislike it. If they feel the natural world is a universe of problems they might not want to deal with it at all. Children should be given a chance to bond with the natural world before they are asked to heal it. Kids learn better when they practically do activities like taking part in debate competitions, drawing competitions, quiz competitions, Rangoli competitions with their themes based on Biodiversity and Wildlife. They should become aware and focused first on local issues and globalize later. Therefore students of different age groups are involved accordingly in these events on every day according to Green Calender. Only after they are able to think in an analytical manner can they learn in a global way. Environmental Education and community conservation needs should be viewed in a continuous and progressive perspective. In this way in rural areas, parents and other adults could also get. benefit from them. Knowledge gain passed on from children to parents (and 38 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
To see the actual publication please follow the link above