Estudo sobra a integração da educação ambiental nas pesquisas ecológicas no Brasil

Abstract

Environmental Education (EE) has been perceived as a positive process in the evolution of the socio-environmental relationship. Aiming at the conservation of ecosystems and sustainable development, EE seeks to form citizens aware of their rights and duties, minimizing the impact of their actions on this fragile relationship. Ecological research in Brazil shows significant potential for the application of sustainable practices, working directly with society. The quantification of various ecological research works in the country suggests that social participation can evolve the environmental perspective of the population, considering that environmental impacts directly affect the quality of life globally. This study, through a scientometric analysis, investigated: (1) the number of works that use EE practices, (2) the most used currents and their applications, (3) the states with the highest number of works on the topic, and (4) whether Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) develops works with EE. Articles published in 37 different journals, in three languages (English, Portuguese, and Spanish), were analyzed. Despite the relevant number of articles found, many showed a low index of social participation, not contributing to the formation of critical thinking and the change of the mechanistic view of the natural environment. The second chapter complements the analyses, focusing on LTER that conducts long-term ecological research in sites close to communities in different Brazilian states and biomes. It investigated: (1) whether the research conducts EE practices, (2) between the Critical and Conservative currents, which is more used, (3) how these practices are developed, and (4) the perception of LTER coordinators about EE and its development along with ecological research. Through structured questionnaires, projects in all Brazilian biomes were identified, with georeferencing of active research sites. Of the 45 projects in activity, 19 coordinators responded to the questionnaires. The results indicate adherence to the ideals of the Critical current, suggesting an evolution in the interest and vision of ecological projects, bringing the socio-environmental topic to the center of the dialogue about the ecosystems studied by LTER.