L.09. Towards a Biodiverse and World-based Education. Emerging Perspectives and Practices

Approaching education in ecological terms is a necessity that the eco-climatic crisis has dramatically brought to the fore, involving epistemological, ontological, and ethical-political aspects. Mindsets capable of addressing the challenges posed by the Anthropocene need to deal with different types of systems, connecting social, technological, economic, and environmental spheres and questioning the dualisms that have underpinned a worldview based on the “myth of omniscience”, above all the nature-culture divide. Such complexity can no longer be resolved simply with a nostalgic vision that focuses on a Nature “out there” to be safeguarded and protected, but requires us to explore and generate more “biodiverse” visions considering and addressing a plurality of entities along a continuum crossed by multiple differentiations. To prevent this diversity from resulting in risky fragmentation, there is a need to support an attitude of continuous re-composition of common worlds, in which humans and non-humans can experience renewed forms of encounter, dialogue, and discovery.

We welcome proposals about (but not limited to) these topics:

- theoretical perspectives questioning the assumptions on nature and environment in ecological education;

- critical and reflective practices in environmental education, outdoor education, sustainability education, and biodiversity education;

- experiences addressing the use of visual and artistic languages in designing educational settings aimed at critically exploring and communicating ecological issues;

- the relationship between ecological views and inclusive teaching models;

- perspectives aimed at developing a multidimensional understanding of issues and critical points related to the protection and enhancement of biodiversity.