Educação ambiental e sustentabilidade para conservação e preservação das tartarugas marinhas no Município de Touros-RN

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate how Environmental Education can contribute to the sustainability, preservation and conservation of species of sea turtles that nest on the coast of the municipality of Touros/RN. Environmental Education (EE) emerged in the 1960s and at the Stockholm Conference in 1972 it was identified as one of the strategies for solving environmental problems and for educating individuals. The study is an action-research, aimed at the use of educational actions asstrategies for the preservation and conservation ofsea turtles. As for the approach, it is a qualitative/quantitative research, an exploratory and descriptive study; in relation to nature, it is applied research. The data collection instruments applied were semi-structured questionnaires, with open and closed questions, aiming to identify the conceptions that students have in relation to the themes worked on, such as the environment, environmental education, preservation and conservation of sea turtles, and through actions of Environmental Education in the school environment and in the community. The participants of this research were 108 students and 12 teachers and administrators from 3 state schools. Based on the survey of the questionnaires, about the themes of environmental education and sea turtles, we present the results of the research with the following aspects: 1) It was understood that the environmental themes were approached mainly through contents in the classroom, 2) it was possible to verify an absence of environmental education actions, therefore it was evident the need for projects that help to develop the environmental awareness of students with themes related to the environmental theme and sea turtles, 3) it was also identified the need for teachers to work environmental themes in an interdisciplinary way, 4) it was also verified the lack of knowledge of the students about the addressed subjects, showing that it is necessary to insert in the school context themes about Environmental Education and sea turtles, emphasizing the threats that these animals suffer and the their ecological importance, preferably that they are worked in a playful for a greater understanding of them, creating spaces for debates, helping to promote awareness and sensitization of students and thus promote the change in behavior and attitudes of the same, in order to become agents that become multipliers of the knowledge acquired in the school environment and help promote the sustainable development of our planet.