Contributions of socio-ecological perceptions to Environmental Education

Abstract

In the context of the current socio-ecological crisis, it is important to analyze how human groups give meaning to nature; which is the main objective of our study of perceptions. Environmental Education emerged as an interdisciplinary field that aims at reinforcing people’s connections with nature, by enhancing environmentally conscious attitudes, values and behaviors, which could ultimately mitigateor, reverse some of the most pressing ecological consequences of human activities. One of the tasks of Environmental Education is to understand the different ways in which societies connect with nature and how this relationship is perceived. To achieve this goal, it is relevant to consider social-ecological perceptions as a framework for documenting and reflecting upon these realities, as well as for constructing and evaluating educational processes. We argue that the study of perceptions should be framed within an interdisciplinary scheme. We conclude by highlighting three ways in which perceptions can contribute to Environmental Education: 1) Environmental Education as an object of perception and analysis; 2) Environmental Education as a transformative notion of socio-ecological perceptions, and 3) The recognition of perceptions as a powerful pedagogical tool. Moreover, acknowledging the contributions of socio-ecological perceptions to the field of Environmental Education could open multiple possibilities for strengthening educational processes from and for the different socio-ecological realities.