Borneo study draws lessons from children’s perceptions of forests! Through the eyes of children, the future of Borneo looks bleak. In a newly published study conducted in part by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), 247 children between the ages of 10 and 15 living in the Indonesian provinces of East and West Kalimantan were asked to draw the present and future of their environment. The children’s drawings forecast alarming declines in wildlife, forest areas and environmental services. The research revealed other intriguing results: Children living in the most densely forested landscapes predicted a lower decline in environmental conditions over the next 15 years, with forests, clean water and wildlife largely preserved. In areas where forests have been heavily cleared, however, children expected wildlife and forests to disappear altogether. “These children have a strong understanding and awareness of environmental issues and of the interactions between environmental factors,” said Anne-Sophie Pellier, lead author of the research. “Children often depicted specific human activities to be the main cause of depletion of resources such as clean water, fresh air, fauna, and forest ecosystems. Children also thought this destruction will result in an alarming increase in natural disasters, air and water pollution, and rising temperatures,” she said. Link to the study: cifor.org/library/4899/through-the-eyes-of-children-perceptions-of-environmental-change-in-tropical-forests/ youtube/watch?v=Xx-tsua9hio
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 11:09:13 +0000