Students’ Interests in Biodiversity: Links with Health and Sustainability

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that sustainable actions to preserve biodiversity are critical to preventing new microorganisms from harming human health. In this sense, education and encouraging young people’s interest in local biodiversity are crucial to promoting its preservation and sustainability. This research studied the biodiversity interests of 14–15-year-old students in São Paulo State, focusing on the links between biodiversity and human health. The criterion of maximum variation was used to constitute a heterogeneous sample of students. Students answered a four-point Likert questionnaire. The items in this questionnaire were divided into categories related to the interest of young people in biodiversity, and these were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (Wilcoxon test). Categories of biodiversity linked to “health or human utility” were of higher interest to young people than those with no links to human benefits, such as “diversity of organisms”. These findings, along with the literature, showed that young people are interested in biodiversity issues associated with human health. Therefore, teaching biodiversity should reflect on new possibilities for making a more sustainable environment and promoting social and environmental justice, fundamental aspects of promoting and guaranteeing human health.
This research was funded by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)(grant #2018/21756-0, São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), grant#2019/08689-4, São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), grant# 2016/05843-4, São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)), the FOUNDATION FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (FCT), grant number SFRH/BD/79512/2011 and RESEARCH CENTRE ON CHILD STUDIES (R&D Unit 317 of FCT; projects UIDB/00317/2020 and UIDP/00317/2020) and the CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education—Personnel).