One of the objectives of Endemixit is to increase public awareness about biodiversity conservation and the use of innovative genetic and genomic approaches as modern tools to protect the Italian biological heritage. To achieve this objective, we aim to engage school teachers and students in dedicated educational programs. As part of this initiative, we have implemented a dissemination project in secondary schools within the Abruzzo, Lazio, and Molise National Park. The program focuses on biodiversity conservation and genetics, using the Marsican bear as an example of an endangered and local iconic species.
We employed a questionnaire to assess students’ perceptions and knowledge of the Marsican bear and genetics as a conservation tool. The questionnaire was administered just before and 14 days after the lessons to assess the educational program’s efficacy.
A total of 110 students from three middle schools in Barrea, Pescasseroli and Scanno participated in the educational program. Initially, the students exhibited a good prior knowledge of the Marsican bear, and their perceptions of both the bear and genetics were generally positive. However, after the lessons we observed an increase in their knowledge and an even more positive perception of the Marsican bear and genetics. For example, 79%, 92% and 85% of the students from Barrea, Scanno and Pescasseroli, respectively, disagreed with the phrase “People have the right to kill bears if they are a problem for the community” before the lessons. After the lessons, these percentages shifted to 91%, 100%, and 89%, respectively.
Studying the knowledge and perception of children in areas with wildlife interactions is crucial to understand the conservation trend of these regions in the coming years. The complete analysis of this educational project will be published soon.
ENDEMIXIT 