Environmental Education: Raising Awareness Among Students for the Conservation of Coastal and Marine Environments

Abstract

The changes made by hominids to the environment have occurred since their emergence. By using natural resources as the basis of human subsistence, environmental damage has increased progressively. As a consequence, we can observe the worsening of the greenhouse effect, wildfires, floods, habitat loss, and biodiversity reduction, leading some species to become endangered, such as the Atlantic Goliath Grouper (Epinephelus itajara Lichtenstein, 1822). The Meros do Brasil Project emerged in 2002, with the purpose of promoting the conservation of coastal and marine environments, with a focus on the recovery and conservation of grouper fish populations, through various strategies, including Environmental Education (EE). This study aims to assess whether the EE activities proposed by the Projeto Meros do Brasil raise students' awareness for a critical environmental education. The initiative was divided into three EE activities and applied to thirty-five 4th-grade elementary school students. To determine whether the activities were in fact promoting awareness among students, they answered a questionnaire using drawings, which was administered before and after the EE activities. These questionnaires were analyzed to verify the presence and absence of elements and their combinations. It was found that the activities proved to be a valuable tool for raising students' awareness, fostering understanding of the interdependence of aquatic environments and the human role in their conservation. Therefore, educational actions like this should be encouraged as they promote awareness in the new generation.