Students’ Interests in Biodiversity: Links with Health and Sustainability

Fernanda Franzolin, Graça S. Carvalho, Carolina Maria Boccuzzi Santana, Andreia dos Santos Calegari, Ester Aparecida Ely de Almeida, João Paulo Reis Soares, Jessica Jorge, Franciele Dutra das Neves and Erika Romanholo Silva Lemos
Additional contact information
Fernanda Franzolin: Centre for Natural and Human Sciences, Federal University of ABC, Santo Andre 09210-580, Brazil
Graça S. Carvalho: CIEC, Institute of Education, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
Carolina Maria Boccuzzi Santana: Centre for Natural and Human Sciences, Federal University of ABC, Santo Andre 09210-580, Brazil
Andreia dos Santos Calegari: Centre for Natural and Human Sciences, Federal University of ABC, Santo Andre 09210-580, Brazil
Ester Aparecida Ely de Almeida: Centre for Natural and Human Sciences, Federal University of ABC, Santo Andre 09210-580, Brazil
João Paulo Reis Soares: Centre for Natural and Human Sciences, Federal University of ABC, Santo Andre 09210-580, Brazil
Jessica Jorge: Centre for Natural and Human Sciences, Federal University of ABC, Santo Andre 09210-580, Brazil
Franciele Dutra das Neves: Centre for Natural and Human Sciences, Federal University of ABC, Santo Andre 09210-580, Brazil
Erika Romanholo Silva Lemos: Centre for Natural and Human Sciences, Federal University of ABC, Santo Andre 09210-580, Brazil

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 24, 1-15

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that sustainable actions to preserve biodiversity are critical to preventing new microorganisms from harming human health. In this sense, education and encouraging young people’s interest in local biodiversity are crucial to promoting its preservation and sustainability. This research studied the biodiversity interests of 14–15-year-old students in São Paulo State, focusing on the links between biodiversity and human health. The criterion of maximum variation was used to constitute a heterogeneous sample of students. Students answered a four-point Likert questionnaire. The items in this questionnaire were divided into categories related to the interest of young people in biodiversity, and these were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (Wilcoxon test). Categories of biodiversity linked to “health or human utility” were of higher interest to young people than those with no links to human benefits, such as “diversity of organisms”. These findings, along with the literature, showed that young people are interested in biodiversity issues associated with human health. Therefore, teaching biodiversity should reflect on new possibilities for making a more sustainable environment and promoting social and environmental justice, fundamental aspects of promoting and guaranteeing human health.

Keywords: pandemics; biodiversity preservation; secondary school; biology education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/24/13767/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/24/13767/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:24:p:13767-:d:701603

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().