Strategies and concepts towards integrated non-formal environmental education in Mexico

Abstract

The theoretical concepts of Environmental Education (EE), Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), permaculture and their practical implementation in Mexico are investigated by this study, analyzing selected integrated non-formal EE Projects (EEPs) and highlighting their strategies for sustainable resource management, capacity building, communication, organization and finance. It is shown that there are some significant EE efforts to be found in Mexico but that there is a shortage of well established EEPs in the city of San Luis Potosí (SLP), which faces a number of environmental challenges and would benefit significantly from an appropriate managed EEP. In order to recommend specific strategies and concepts for the development and management of an efficient EE Initiative (EEI), existing long-term EEPs in Mexico are analyzed. The qualitative analysis is based on non-participative observation in order to provide a general overview of EEPs in Mexico. The analysis of five cases studies in Mexico, based on structured and participative observation, field visits, semi-structured interviews and a survey with participants from one of the projects, identifies structures and methodologies which have been implemented by those long-term sustainable projects promoting EE, illustrating that the integrated concept of permaculture achieves community building on different levels by focusing on communication and promotion strategies. Furthermore, the analysis of implementation and management of the projects depicts their strengths such as sustainable resource management, didactic methodologies and financial sustainability and allows a comparison within them. Based on the key findings of the analysis of EEPs in Mexico specific concepts and strategies are outlined which provide general recommendations for the efficient and sustainable management of integrated EEPs...