“O incrível mundo dos anfíbios e répteis da Mata Atlântica” ações educativas no entorno de unidades de conservação

Abstract

With more than 70% of its original coverage area degraded, the Atlantic Forest still has a huge biodiversity and shelter about 730 species of amphibians and repitles, however, due to advances in urbanization and tenacity of popular beliefs which incites the population's loathing towards these animals, some species are endangered. Since the protected areas are an important tool for the preservation of species, the use of educational actions is fundamental to dismystify inherited beliefs and clarify the importance of these animals to the human population being the main resource in the management plan of an UC. In this way, the objective of this work was to promote and evaluate educational actions through travelling exhibitions on public schools around three Conservation Units, Parque Estadual de Dois Irmãos (PEDI), Estação Ecológica do Caetés (ESEC-Caetés) and Refúgio de Vida Silvestre do Sistema Gurjaú (RVS Gurjaú), aiming at valuing the importance of Atlantic Forest's reptiles and amphibians, stimulating the sensitization of the human community to forests and animals. The exhibitions were performed for three consecutive years aimed at students from 7th year of elementary education to 2nd year of high school. Each exhibition had a collection of banners and communicative boards, representative forests scenery, pictures of species, interactive booklets, a written questionnaire, taxidermized and preserved animals, also had live animals. A total of 20 schools and 2,141 students participated in the actions, aged between 9 and 21 years old. The students were participative in all activities, they demystified legends and beliefs through monitor's explanations, also reported the use of reptiles and amphibians in human nourishment, through photographs showed the most common species in the area where they live, some of them relate coexistence with these animals as well as feelings such as affection, fear and curiosity. After the explanations some students showed interest in helping to conserve these animals and the biome, which was reflected in positive answers of the questionnaires, where they answered that in order to help preserve the Biome they must not kill animals, take care of the forest and raise awareness about the importance of species on their community and stated they will teach friends and parents about it in speeches such as "I'll tell my mom the forest has to be preserved", "Me and my friends, from now on, we'll be the heroes of animals". The environmental education is an essential tool for demystification, awareness and appreciation of the environment, inducing in humans the will to conserve, being a buttress for ecological balance.