Contribution to community environmental education from a master's degree in Environmental Management/Contribución a la educación ambiental comunitaria desde una maestría en Gestión Ambiental

Abstract

Academic and scientific training from the postgraduate level allows the implementation of environmental education alternatives aimed at different sectors of the population. The objective of the study was to socialize the contributions to community environmental education, based on the results of the research carried out in the 3rd edition of the master's degree in Environmental Management, with an output in Community Environmental Education, which was coordinated by the Center for Environmental Studies and Natural Resources of the University of Pinar del Río, Cuba, in the period 2012-2017. The structural systemic method and measurement were used. The instruments used, the environmental problems identified, as well as the main positive impacts on the environment were identified and quantified in percentages. The environmental education program was the most widely used instrument (62.5 % of theses). 171 environmental problems were identified, with the highest incidence being those related to technical infrastructure, environmental deterioration and insufficient environmental education. Participatory action research and workshops represented the most widely applied method and form, respectively. 103 positive environmental impacts were achieved; among them, the most significant: environmental sanitation, actions for the conservation of biodiversity and the creation of educational spaces. It was concluded that the research activity of the master's degree contributed positively to the solution of environmental problems in different communities; however, it is necessary to increase environmental recovery actions.