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Abstract Detail


Teaching Section

Crisci, Jorge V. [1], Katinas, Liliana [1], McInerney, Joseph D. [2].

Taking biodiversity to school .

Biodiversity refers to the variety and variability among living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur. Today that biological treasure is facing times of ruin and devastation. Biodiversity is being lost around the world in an escalating epidemic of extinctions.Effective action to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity must be based on accurate scientific information. Biological systematics is one of the main tools that science has to map biodiversity. Biological systematics is a multidimensional scientific discipline that describes, names, classifies, and determines relationships among the Earth's biota. To impede species extinction, the first step is to know them scientifically: their systematic placement, geographic distribution, ecology, and to what degree they are vulnerable to environmental changes. We need a new vision for biological diversity for a healthy planet and a sustainable future for humankind. What the future holds in store for individual human beings and the world depends largely on the wisdom with which humans use science and technology. And that, in turn, depends on the character, distribution, and effectiveness of the education that people receive. Education is an essential management tool that recognizes the central role of people in all nature conservation efforts. Indeed, although a conservation goal may be focused on a biological problem, effective conservation strategies must incorporate communication and educational programs designed to affect people's awareness, attitudes, and behaviors toward natural resources and land management.The problem of biodiversity poses new challenges to education systems: how can schools prepare students, tomorrow's citizens, to become more sensitive to the loss of species and to understand the role of species, especially through systematics, in maintaining biodiversity. The objectives of this contribution is to justify the need of taking biodiversity to school through biological systematic, and present and evaluate two previous successful attempts to take biodiversity to school.

Broader Impacts:


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1 - Museo de La Plata, Plantas Vasculares, Paseo del Bosque s/n, La Plata, 1900, Argentina
2 - National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics.

Keywords:
Systematics
Educational goals
Evolution
The need of a narrative
Curriculum standards.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 39
Location: Delaware A/Hyatt
Date: Tuesday, July 10th, 2012
Time: 3:45 PM
Number: 39009
Abstract ID:556


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