Perception of students from different education levels about native and exotic plants

Abstract

Invasive alien species represent the second biggest threat to biodiversity. Valuing and recovering the knowledge of native flora in Environmental Education activities can be a strategy to help reverse this situation. This requires a new approach in schools and universities, and it is important to know how much is known by the students in different levels of education. This study proposes to verify if high school and college students in the biological sciences can recognize native, exotic and exotic invasive plants and place them in their correct categories. The study was applied in two educational institutions from central Rio Grande do Sul. A questionnaire and binomial test for classification of species common in the region the study was given. The percentage of correct answers in the classification part was low, however students demonstrated good understanding of the terms in the test. The level of knowledge was higher in the senior years of college. In general, students don’t know the species and are unable to classify them as native or exotic and exotic invasive, showing the need to invest in activities that promote understanding of the subject, and in actions that prepare teachers and future teachers to expand the themes addressed in science teaching and in Environmental Education practices. Graduation courses also need to address the issue, including it in the curriculum, so that the subject becomes more popular both in academia and for society in general.