How can environmental education be an engine to help us achieving the SDG challenges?
How can environmental education be an engine to help us achieving the SDG challenges?
Environmental education plays a key role to achieve several Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) included in the 2030 Agenda. Since 2016 that Associação BioLiving, has been working to improve nature conservation and environmental awareness in the community. To achieve this, we develop environmental volunteering actions, environmental activities in schools, biodiversity workshops/talks, scientific and technical consulting to public and private entities about forestry management among others. By engaging people from different ages, cultures and professional areas through this formal and non-formal environmental education actions we aim to spread the importance of nature preservation for a healthy functioning of our ecosystems and for our own well-being in the future.
We believe that the environmental education actions developed by Associação BioLiving are in line with six different SDG:
- Goal 3 | Good health and well-being
Our environmental actions in the field promote healthy lifestyles for everyone that takes part of the activities. Moreover, contact with nature is proved to be a crucial factor enhancing our physical and mental well-being. So, we believe that our volunteering programs and biodiversity workshops, not only increase people knowledge about nature and the importance of its preservation, but also help improving people life quality and well-being by making them spend more time in contact with nature.
- Goal 4 | Quality education
Our environmental activities, in schools and outside them, aim to implement inclusive quality education for all ages and to promote lifelong knowledge about environmental issues. We believe that there is a lack of environmental education based on hands-on activities, which we consider essential to increase people engagement with nature and to promote more sustainable lifestyles.
- Goal 5 | Gender equality
In our environmental activities, either they are indoor or outdoor, physically demanding or more intellectually challenging we make no difference between tasks developed by each gender. Our motto is “Nature and Education for All” and we live and work by it.
- Goal 13 |Climate action
Since our foundation, in 2016, Associação BioLiving has planted more than 60.000 trees and we have recovered more than 20 ha of habitat. With these actions we are contributing to higher carbon sequestration in the terrestrial ecosystems that we have acted on, helping fighting climate change.
- Goal 15 | Life on land
One of our main ambitions is to protect and restore forest ecosystems and to promote their sustainable use and exploitation. By converting areas with exotic species to zones with native tree and shrub species, we aim to reverse land degradation, biodiversity loss and to improve ecosystem services provided by these habitats composed by our indigenous plant species.
- Goal 17 | Partnerships for the goals
Our association has established several partnerships with public and private entities to work towards nature conservation and sustainable forestry management.
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About the Author
Sara Ornelas is graduated in Biology and since the beginning of 2021 that is working in Associação BioLiving being involved in managing and implementing nature conservation projects and environmental education activities.
Associação BioLiving is a Non-Governamental Organization founded in july 2016, after 13 years of environmental conservation and preservation involving a multidisciplinary team. Our main intervention areas are: Nature conservation, Environmental education and training, Scientific consulting and monitoring and Social inclusion.