Ecology for non-ecologists: The outreach program of the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB), Chile

Background/Question/Methods

Ecologists are increasingly recognizing the importance of scientific outreach to make relevant research accessible to all members of our society. One of the goals of the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB), Chile, is to develop such an outreach program, combining the efforts of allied academic institutions, including the Center for Advanced Studies in Arid Zones (La Serena, Chile) and two NGOs, Omora and Senda Darwin Foundations. This program promotes the direct transfer of knowledge from working scientists to the local communities and vice-versa, under the paradigm of “knowing to conserve”. We are organized as a network of working groups at each of four long-term research sites across a latitudinal gradient from 30° (semiarid Chile) to 55° S (subantarctic, Cape Horn). Here, we summarize the results of the first two years of outreach activities. Our main targets are local communities, ecotourism groups, park rangers, school teachers and children. Our major philosophical and methodological tool for the transfer of ecological capacities is the “inquiry cycle”, where scientists and non-scientists work together as a team to generate and answer relevant questions about their local environment. Through this two-way interaction, scientists can value and integrate traditional knowledge, while society members can legitimately question unsustainable management practices.

Results/Conclusions

During the first two years, hands-on workshops with local communities were carried out at the four ecological research sites, on subjects such as etnobotanical uses of wild plants and biological conservation and sustainable tourism. We worked in collaboration with educational institutions, government and non-government agencies, directly involving 60 scientists, 140 teachers, 200 other professionals, and around 1200 children in hands-on training workshops. We have promoted graduate and undergraduate students to share their first-hand research experiences with children of early ages, and have encouraged local sculptors and musicians to develop new forms of art based on knowledge of species and ecosystems. In Navarino Island, Cape Horn, children have created stories, paintings, muppet theater and sculptures using the Magellanic Woodpecker as a flagship species for their expressions. Based on this experience, in the next years, we will focus on the role of charismatic species in semiarid and temperate ecosystems as models for scientific outreach. Our coordinated outreach program, based on a non-centralized network of long-term research sites, has been effective for linking scientists with local communities, enhancing societal valuation of wild species and ecosystems, and promoting public understanding of scientific knowledge.

Acknowledgements: Convenio P02-005-ICM