Biodiversity Recovery Plan: Chapter 10. Education and Communication

This 10-page chapter of a larger document from the Chicago Wilderness Biodiversity Recovery Plan (CWBRP) discusses communication on biodiversity for the purpose of environmental protection, focusing on the Chicago Wilderness area. It discusses communication opportunities, including raising fundamental ecological literacy and helping the public understand the specific human impacts on biodiversity and its capability to act to conserve biodiversity. It reviews the current state of environmental education in schools in the Chicago Wilderness region, discusses broadening the audience for environmental education to minorities, lists tools available for environmental education, and sets long-term educational goals and recommends actions to meet those goals.


As stated in the document, some biodiversity recovery needs cannot wait for long-term education goals. For ecological restoration, in particular, the recommendation is for more urgent short-term communication strategies to address a lack of understanding of restoration and the techniques it requires.

Some of the communication-related strategies and actions for both the long- and short-term are:

Long-term education goals -

• Broaden the audience for environmental education to include low-income populations, and senior citizens. As stated from research findings, "[m]ost important, however, was the finding that under-served communities are receptive to environmental outreach efforts, if awareness of diverse communities is enhanced and input collected from them."
• Develop “best practices” for teacher training for environmental education in the schools.
• Survey existing course selections at local universities and develop a degree programme in restoration ecology with an accompanying field station, including practicum opportunities with professional land managers.
• Create a well-publicised distribution centre for new tools for groups starting community-based,
  non-school projects in biodiversity education and produce tools and materials in multiple languages.
• Foster neighbourhood- and community-based environmental programmes appropriate to cultural interests. Identify specific leaders in cultural and ethnic communities who can inform educators and communicators and serve as partners and as a diverse base of spokespersons for biodiversity to a variety of communities.
• Link school-based and community-based projects.
• Gather baseline data and post programme data to measure long-term change and disseminate the findings.

Short-term communications goals -

• Ensure that restoration efforts include plans and resources for communication to local residents.
• Create a communication guide that restoration agencies can use.
• Conduct direct outreach to organisations in the local communities, such as block clubs and religious groups.
• Engage advocacy organisations and journalists for increased understanding and media coverage of restoration and land management.
• Gather data on the results of restoration efforts, translating the data into easily understood benefits, and disseminate it along with communication on core values of restoration, particularly at restoration sites.
• Develop museum exhibits, ad campaigns, and retail promotions that position habitat restoration in mainstream culture.
• Seek trusted local spokespersons and volunteers. Create volunteer training for representing biodiversity and restoration to the public and to decisionmakers.
• Survey decisionmakers on their information needs and create tools for their increased understanding. Include tours, literature, up-to-date scientific information, and contacts for further information.

The document concludes that conservation educators can engage the public on biodiversity through building public affinity for parks and forest preserves and an appreciation of their ecosystems. "The conservation agencies and organizations of the Chicago region, in concert with our highly visible botanic gardens, zoos, and museums, have the opportunity to realize these objectives and, working together, to effect positive change. They must integrate current efforts in communication, marketing, and education and direct them toward these objectives."

To order a printed copy of the plan, contact Michelle Uting at muting@chicagowilderness.org or call 847 965 9253. The entire Chicago Wilderness Biodiversity Recovery Plan is available here in downloadble PDF format by chapter.