Environmental Education for the Nature Conservation

5. Suzano Papel e Celulose, Mucuri – BA, Brazil

Abstract: Environmental education seeks to raise society´s awareness about the harmonious coexistence between man and the environment. Thus, this study aimed to develop recreational activities with elementary students to emphasize the importance of nature conservation as well as the importance of conservation units in this process. The activity was carried out at Leonardo Da Vinci State College, in Dois Vizinhos (PR), which is located in a Municipal Conservation Unit (Jirau Alto Ecological Park). A balloon was distributed to each student, in which there was the name of a local fauna or flora species, easily found in the nature until some years ago. All the students had to work together to keep the balloons in the air, in an allusive way to demonstrate the importance of collective work for the species conservation. In addition, it was up to the students to recognize the species described in the balloons. It is noticed that the activity had great relevance, as it instigated the students to the critical thinking about the importance of the community for the preservation of the species presented in the proposed activity and to the role of the conservation units in the process of environmental education and species preservation as well.