=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-2555/paper17
|storemode=property
|title=An environmental Atlas as a tool for improving local environmental education and
awareness in Arequipa
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2555/paper17.pdf
|volume=Vol-2555
|authors=Carlos Zeballos-Velarde,Milagros Álvarez Huamaní,Jonathan Quiroz Valdivia,Sarelia Castañeda Alejo,Christian Málaga Espinoza
}}
==An environmental Atlas as a tool for improving local environmental education and
awareness in Arequipa==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2555/paper17.pdf
An Environmental Atlas as a Tool for Improving Local
Environmental Education and Awareness in Arequipa
Carlos Zeballos-Velarde1, Milagros Álvarez Huamaní2, Jonathan Quiroz Valdivia3,
Sarelia Castañeda Alejo4, Christian Málaga Espinoza5
1
Universidad Católica San Pablo. Urb. Campiña Paisajista s/n
Email 1: crzeballos@ucsp.edu.pe
2,3,4,5
Universidad Católica Santa María. Urb. San Jose s/n
2,3,4,5
Email : malvarezh@ucsm.edu.pe , 72417349@ucsm.edu.pe ,
sarelia.castaneda@ucsm.edu.pe , cmalaga@ucsm.edu.pe,
Abstract. The success of any environmental management requires the active
participation of the community that should be involved in the awareness and
solution of environmental problems, which can only be achieved through
environmental education. This research takes as a case study the city of
Arequipa, Peru to, firstly, understand the gap between the environmental
education provided nationwide by the Ministry of Education and the lack of
awareness of local problems by university students. Secondly, to analyze the
methodological framework for the development of the Environmental Atlas of
Arequipa, as an educational tool to fill-up that gap. Finally, a strategy for the
use of the atlas a massive urban-environmental education tool in Arequipa will
be proposed.
Keywords: environmental education, local environmental awareness,
Environmental Atlas, Arequipa
1 Introduction
Environmental management recognizes the importance of citizen participation as a
fundamental component in the success of the objectives of sustainable development,
the solution of environmental problems, as well as for the increase of resilience in
communities [1]. One of the most effective ways to develop participation is through
environmental education, which allows knowledge of situations and problems as well
as support for decision making. Therefore, a good environmental management
requires access to systematized, accessible and understandable information, which in
Copyright c 2019 for this paper by its authors. Use permitted under Creative Commons
License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
developing countries is typically currently dispersed, scarce, inaccessible and too
technical. In turn, it is necessary to rethink environmental education by combining
typical concepts of global interest with understanding local (provincial, metropolitan,
district-level) problems that are aimed at changing attitudes and modifying collective
behaviors [2], which, by means of massive communication tools [3]
In Peru, significant advances have been achieved through the development of a
National Plan of Environmental Education (PLANEA), which discusses concepts
such as climate change, health, risk management and environmental efficiency in the
schools nationwide which has produced a general interest and even activism in these
topics by the youth. However, the level of knowledge of local environmental
problems by the community is much lower, given the lack of information available or
simply the absence of it. In particular, many young university students, while having
empathy for environmental issues, they are unaware of the environmental problems of
their locality. This is due, in part, to the fact that school texts used for learning are
mostly developed in the capital and do not address situations at the regional,
provincial or metropolitan level, and also because there is no systematized and
organized information that can easily be consulted by the community.
This situation has important effects on the increase of the environmental
deterioration of the cities, partly due to a lack of knowledge of the population.
Therefore, this article addresses the following questions:
What are the characteristics of school texts on Science, Technology and
Environment that are used in Arequipa in relation to the local environmental
education?
What is the degree of awareness of university students regarding attitudes,
behaviors and spatial knowledge of the environmental problems in Arequipa?
What characteristics and methodology should have a document such as the
Environmental Atlas of Arequipa in order to contribute to local environmental
education in schools?
What strategies should be followed to ensure that this document is known by the
community and particularly by students in schools and universities?
2 An Overview of National and Local Environmental Education
Environmental education is key to achieve a sustainable development. In 2015 the UN
defined 17 global objectives as part of the new sustainable development agenda,
which seeks to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and ensure the prosperity of all its
inhabitants in a period of 15 years [4]. Although the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) are interrelated, “Sustainable Cities” seeks “to make cities and human
settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable” [5].
A collaboration between the Peruvian Ministry of Education and the Ministry of
Environment, has promoted the development of the National Plan Environmental on
Education (PLANEA) [6], which has been developed through a participatory process
and was validated in various workshops and working meetings with a broad
participation of stakeholders of public entities (ministries, regional and local
governments, etc.), private institutions (companies, universities, NGOs, etc. .) and
civil society organizations (rural and indigenous communities, environmental
volunteer networks, etc.).
PLANEA proposes four key themes: a) Climate change education, aimed at
increasing awareness and adaptive capacity against climate change, b) Health
education, which allows to achieve healthy lifestyles in the educational community,
c) Eco-efficiency education, to develop skills in research, entrepreneurship
participation and applicability of progressively controlling the environmental impacts
and d) Risk management education, to strengthen the culture of prevention and
adaptation.
Among the most effective ways to improve education in local environmental
management at various levels are the environmental atlases, which are specialized
compendiums of the characteristics of a given place.
One of the first experiences of creating an environmental Atlas was in Porto
Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil [7], a city where several environmental
management and popular participation policies had already been developed.
Published in the year 2000, the Atlas managed to systematize the city's environmental
information, becoming an important tool for city planning, and at the same time an
effective means of disseminating this information among citizens, particularly
teachers and schools. Also, the environmental Atlas became a tool to promote citizen
participation [8]. After 20 years of its publication, the Environmental Atlas of Porto
Alegre has been digitized and it is available for consultation on the web, although it
does not have the characteristics of a digital geographic platform, it is only an online
book [9]. Over 20 years, the atlas has contributed to the construction of an
environmental identity in schools, building concepts of value of its immediate
surroundings, improving the knowledge of the problems of the city and contributing
to the conception of solutions by its citizens [10].
Given this successful experience, the Education Program for Urban Management
in Peru (PEGUP) [11], in agreement with the IHS and ITC institutes from the
Netherlands, developed Environmental Atlases in Arequipa, Lima, and Trujillo,
having as a counterpart to the municipalities of these cities. A draft for the atlas draft
was developed in Arequipa, but for political reasons it was never published by the
municipality. However, it served as a model for the environmental atlases of Lima (on
a provincial scale) [12] and Trujillo (on a provincial and metropolitan scale) [13],
which were published and have been used as a reference in various planning and
research projects of these cities. In the case of the environmental atlas of Lima,
citizenship education and awareness was encouraged, for which it was distributed
freely to the main national universities, to several public schools and to the district
municipalities [14]. This atlas was a high quality technical tool, but unfortunately its
dissemination was not continued again for political reasons.
3 Materials and Methods
Different methods have been used to address each of the research questions.
3.1 Characteristics of school texts
In this case, the revision of Science and Technology school textbooks was carried out,
verifying their content on environmental subjects and their scope at national, regional
or local level. Personal interviews with students regarding the importance of these
books in their awareness of environmental issues were also carried out.
3.2 Knowledge of Young University Students Regarding Environmental
Problems in Arequipa
a) Evaluation of attitudes and behaviors on environmental issues
An electronic data collection sheet was developed using a Google form
(https://forms.gle/vK7KGiy92ryjk6ob9). The instrument evaluated sociodemographic
variables such as age, academic training, evaluation of attitudes and behaviors on
environmental issues by the population surveyed.
For the evaluation of attitudes, questions such as: "I am concerned about the
amount of waste produced in Peru.", "More land should be reserved for wild habitats”
or “I think I can contribute to the solution of environmental problems” were included.
For the evaluation of behaviors, questions such as “I strive to reduce the amount of
products I consume,” “I avoid buying products that have a negative impact on the
environment,” or “I recycle paper, glass and / or metal waste products at home or at
school ” were included. Subsequently, a sum of every graded question was made
according to attitudes and behaviors. The survey was distributed through the use of
social networks, to exceed the desired number of respondents. Likewise, the
evaluation of the results was carried out using the Excel software and SPSS Statistics.
The Likert scale was used to calculate the results, which were then converted into
percentages and analyzed under the following ranges; the group A percentages greater
than 60, which indicates a highly developed environmental culture. Group B included
percentages between 50 and 60, indicating a moderately developed environmental
culture and group C included percentages lower than 50 indicating very little
awareness in environmental issues.
b) Evaluation of the spatial situation of the environmental problems of Arequipa
A graphic survey was carried out with 4 maps requesting the identification and
graphing of points or areas of a) risk of disasters b) environmental problems in the
Chili River c) urban heat islands d) loss of green areas. Subsequently, the maps were
digitized into ArcGIS, converted to raster format and then, through map algebra,
managed to identify which were the areas that most students perceived as problematic
and then contrasted with reality.
3.3 Methodological framework of Environmental Atlas of Arequipa
Geographic Information Systems were used as a powerful analysis and modeling tool
[16] that promotes research and better understanding of various environmental
problems [17]. The different themes were compiled in a geodatabase, which was
standardized and georeferenced in the WGS84 Projected Coordinate System and the
18S zone. According to the degree of information production, there have been 2 levels
of maps:
1. Cartographic representation: obtained from primary sources, whether national,
international or self-produced.
a) Vector maps: Made up of a georeferenced vector graphic component (points,
lines or areas) and a database [18].
b) Satellite photographs: were obtained from various international sources such as
USGS / NASA's Global Explorer, and used as background for contextual reference.
c) Creation of orthomosaics: Historical aerial photographs have been
orthoreferenced and reprojected because they have a photographic distortion as they
approach the edge of the image, due to the angle generated by the surface
photographed with the aircraft [19].
2. Scientific analysis based on GIS: In these cases where, new information was
produced through a GIS operation.
a) Statistical analysis: made of the combination of vector maps or raster image
analysis.
b) Point density maps: characterize the pattern of a point distribution and its
agglomeration variations with respect to the study area [20], simplifying a large
amount of information and show the trends of a given point map, based on its
concentration or dispersion.
c) NDVI multispectral analysis: For the analysis of Landsat 8 satellite images, the
ENVI program has been used, which allows the study of the different bands that make
up a multispectral image. A map algebra correction, a radiometric correction and an
atmospheric correction were made by the FLAASH method. Finally, spectral indexes
were used to generate the NDVI image.
d) MODIS multitemporal vegetation change analysis. Images from the same month
of two different years are used, using the MOD13Q1 product of the MODIS satellite.
Map algebra was used to subtract the most recent image from the oldest and later
reclassified to determine the gains and losses of the vegetation cover.
e) Temperature maps based on satellite image and drone survey: allows to verify
the surface temperature and urban heat islands. The TIR (Thermal Infrared) image of
Landsat 8 was selected, the respective projection, the radiometric and atmospheric
corrections and finally the conversion of Kelvin degrees to Celsius were made in
order to show the location of heat islands on a macro scale. For a micro analysis a Flir
Duo camera mounted on a drone has been used, determining the air temperature,
humidity, atmospheric conditions and emissivity.
4 Results
4.1 Characteristics of school texts
For the purposes of the study, books of the Science, Technology and Environment
course from Bruño Publishing and Santillana Publishing were reviewed. The texts
addressed environmental issues in a graphic and didactic way but very generally.
They are aimed at creating environmental awareness in the student but not raise a
critical and proactive attitude towards problems. In conversation with some students,
they refer to the development of some recycling activities within the course, but not
an understanding of the real problems of the locality. The reviewed material
addressed environmental subjects only at an international and national level.
4.2 Perception surveys
a) Evaluation of attitudes and behaviors on environmental issues
Data were collected from 282 people, which were processed and systematized
according to their professional background [21] [22] [23]. They were distributed as
follows; 45.65% corresponds to university and college students, and 54.3478%
corresponds to graduates and professionals.
Table 1. Data analysis.
Educational level Component Average Standard deviation
University/college Attitudes 48.8 % 6.893
students Behaviors 58.9 % 15.832
Graduates/ Attitudes 47.6 % 6.474
professionals Behaviors 62.5 % 15.339
Universities and college students are placed in category C regarding their attitudes
and B as for their behaviors, with a medium to low environmental awareness. (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1. Attitudes and behaviors in university and college students
Also, most professionals belong in category A regarding behavior, which means
that in their actions demonstrate positive behaviors with the environment, but they
have less positive attitudes, as they fall into category B. (Fig . 2).
Fig. 2. Attitudes and behaviors in graduates and professionals
The results indicate that among the interviewees there is an interest and empathy
for environmental issues. However, there is lack of knowledge about the
environmental problems that afflict the city. Bad practices are also evidenced in terms
of environmental awareness. By having small improvement in these behaviors, by
large numbers of people, can have a great positive impact in the society.
b) Evaluation of the spatial situation of the environmental problems of Arequipa
Although there is a recognition of the areas with more conspicuous environmental
problems in Arequipa, in general there is a distortion of the spatial perception of
students with respect to reality. The question regarding environmental risks had the
closest answers to the real situation. However, the issues of the loss of green areas and
pollution had very different responses to the real situation This shows that spatial
intelligence has not been developed to associate the existence of environmental
problems and their location and magnitude.
4.3 The development of the Environmental Atlas of Arequipa
In order to ease the deficiencies of environmental education evidenced in the surveys,
an environmental atlas has been developed consisting of 325 figures and maps. A
printed version was chosen rather than a digital one, given that in Arequipa reading e-
books on tablets or computers is not very widespread among school students and the
general public, due to technological and economic restrictions, while a book allows be
easily shared between users who do not have a computer available or who are not
familiar with certain technologies at the time of reading. While the development of an
interactive digital atlas is the next natural step, the most important thing is the
construction of a consistent and systematized geodatabase content.
The atlas is based on the systemic approach, which is the study of the ecosystems
that make up our habitat as well as the relationships and flows of matter and energy
that co-exist in them. An ecosystem is composed of two elements: the Biotope: which
is the “Territory or living space whose environmental conditions are adequate for a
specific community of living beings to develop in it” [24] and the Biocoenosis: which
“is the whole of organisms of all species that coexist in a defined space called a
biotope, which offers the necessary environmental conditions for their survival ”[25].
However, the systemic approach also focuses on the ecosystems interrelations [26].
For didactic purposes, emphasis has been given to certain topics, grouped into
three main areas: a) The natural environment: which contains the study of
ecosystems and its two major components: biotopes (the territory, soils, hydrology,
climate, and temperature) and biocoenosis (flora and fauna); b) The built
environment: it focuses on the city's built habitat, its urban evolution, heritage, land
uses, its road and utilities infrastructure and its agricultural and recreational green
areas and c) The social environment: it focuses on the relationship between society
and the environment: the demographic composition of the community, its behavior
towards risks and its environmental culture.
Despite this classification, several topics also address their interrelation, using the
multi-thematic analysis capabilities offered by GIS.
5 Strategies for disseminating the atlas among school students
The Environmental Atlas of Arequipa has been published in November 2019 and it
will be introduced to schools after March 2020, therefore it is not possible at this
stage to measure the impact that it will have among the community. However similar
surveys will be conducted in 2022 to understand if it improved environmental
education and awareness among young university students.
However, some strategies may allow greater acquisition of the atlas content.
a) Massive atlas dissemination
The Universidad Católica de Santa María, which has carried out the publication of
the atlas, could play an important role in incorporating the content of the atlas into the
environmental education of Arequipa students, through two concrete measures:
1) The donation of a percentage of books to public libraries and schools,
organizing, along with other universities, several dissemination workshops.
2) The inclusion of the atlas content in the university entrance exam. This will
force pre-university students to read and discuss local environmental problems.
b) Development of an interactive digital version
After the printed publication, the production of a digital atlas is planned. The
advantages of the digital format include easily updated data, the interactivity between
layers, the verification in situ, the possibility of enlarging the maps to a larger scale
and the exchange of various types of information.
A web-based version will be a platform that will allow interaction with the user
combining and comparing different levels of information. A mobile application
version will display concrete layers, such of land use, risk areas, water courses,
natural areas, etc. in order to promote in-situ learning activities.
The expected results after the publication of the Environmental Atlas of Arequipa
in its physical and virtual stages include a) the strengthening in the knowledge
awareness and of local environmental issues, to enrich the local environmental culture
of citizens, starting with the young population and b) its use as an instrument for
decision making as well as a model for capacity building focused around an
environmental culture. Additionally, it can encourage for the creation of new
Environmental Atlases focused on districts, provinces, regional or countries, based on
the Environmental Atlas of Arequipa or other cities in Peru.
6 Conclusions
In the light of the results, it is determined that environmental education is
currently one of the pillars for the sustainable development of cities, this being a
transversal axis and closely linked to environmental culture [27]. In order to
transform the environmental culture of young people, it is important to combine
general knowledge with local environmental awareness.
Based on this study, there is no evidence that school texts have contributed to
local environmental education as they have a very general approach and contents.
This is related to the fact that many young university students have moderate to
low environmental behaviors and attitudes. However, a small percentage of
graduated professionals show developed environmental behaviors as they afford
higher results when compared to the group of students; therefore it can be
inferred that university education contributes in a positive but not significant way
to the improvement of environmental culture.
The flaws in the spatial knowledge of local environmental problems are evident.
The diffusion of the environmental characteristics and problems of a city has
become an important means for environmental management among decision
makers and a powerful instrument of environmental education at different levels.
The development of environmental atlases has proven to be an effective tool to
promote both environmental management and education, being a resource for the
acquisition of new knowledge, providing a framework for citizen participation.
The university can play a role in disseminating the contents of the atlas,
encouraging the discussion of local problems and envisioning well-documented
possible solutions.
Acknowledgments. We would like to thank the Universidad Católica de Santa María,
for financing the printed version of the Environmental Atlas of Arequipa, especially
to Dr. Gonzalo Dávila del Carpio, Vice Rector of Research, for his constant support in
the development of this project. We also thank the collaborators of various institutions
that contributed to the atlas.
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