naee-logo1. Communicate 2017 takes place on November 1 and 2 at Bristol Zoo.  This is an annual environmental communication conference bringing together over 150 delegates each year to develop their skills, share best practice and debate latest issues in science communication, nature conservation and engaging people with the natural world.

Its 2017 theme is Navigating Change:

“In a time of unprecedented social, economic and political change we urgently need proactive tools for successfully communicating environmental issues. Communicate goes straight to the interface and asks some difficult questions about current approaches as we explore a shifting landscape of echo-chambers, divisive opinions and fake news. Discuss, debate, and build a vital communications toolkit for the coming year through two days of inspiring content, cutting edge research, practical workshops and engaging discussion.”


2. 
NAAEE is hosting a webinar on Biodiversity Around the World.  It’s on September 6th at 1500, US Eastern Standard Time (EST).  It’s presented by Dr. Eric Dinerstein, Director of WildTech and the Biodiversity and Wildlife Solutions Program at RESOLVE – an independent nonprofit organization building strong, enduring solutions to environmental, social, and health challenges and helping community, business, government, and NGO leaders get results and create lasting relationships through collaboration.  You can submit questions in advance.


3.  
And on Monday, September 11 at 1930 pm EST, NOAA Climate Stewards welcome Dr. Martha Monroe, Professor of Environmental Education at the University of Florida, to host a webinar on climate change education.  Here’s the Abstract:

A variety of resources are available to help educators design climate change units and lessons for their students. Which strategies are most effective will depend more on the goal of the lessons than the ability of the students. Our recent systematic literature review identified 49 research papers that reported effective strategies for teaching about climate change. The resulting themes suggest that elementary through university students can increase climate science knowledge with relevant, meaningful, and experiential exercises – but most science teachers know that. Climate change is challenging because of the controversial and value-laden issues and misperceptions that swirl around it. Some of the research papers used community projects and deliberative discussions to help students deeply understand the issues and build skills for working toward solutions. This presentation will briefly explain the review process and focus on the key themes that might help educators emphasize valuable and effective strategies in their climate change programs.

e858f65a-464f-4e0a-ac83-940997d1d7eb4. The timescale of the Global Learning Programmes in  England, Wales and Scotland have been extended until Summer 2018.  This will give more schools more opportunities to use the training, resources and support that are available as part of this programme.

There are still places on Think Global’s Developing a Global Learning School online courses, starting on 14 September and 31 October which can be paid for with GLPE e-credits.  These courses support teachers to explore and critique relevant resources and ideas together, and give them greater confidence to advocate global learning back in their own school community.  You can find out more here.  You can also sign up directly on the GLP website, and explore all training courses for the GLP here.

ci.logo.new.stationery5. Conservation International’s blog [Human Nature] has a post by Sophie Bertazzo about what indigenous leaders wish westerners knew.  This begins:  On International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples — and the tenth anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples — Human Nature is revisiting an interview with members of Conservation International’s (CI) Indigenous Advisory Group. These leaders sat down with Minnie Degawan, the director of CI’s Indigenous and Traditional Peoples Program, to discuss the challenges and successes of indigenous peoples around the world.

Minnie Degawan: What do you want Westerners to know about indigenous peoples?

Ole Kaunga, Kenya: Indigenous people are people — they are human beings.  They are not tourist attractions and they are not primitive; they are living in cultures close to nature and expending a lot of effort to make sure they’re using natural resources in a sustainable way. …

You can read the full post here.


6. 
The Guardian ran a depressing story recently about the number of environmental activists being killed across the world.  Its feature begins:

Last year was the most perilous ever for people defending their community’s land, natural resources or wildlife, with new research showing that environmental defenders are being killed at the rate of almost four a week across the world.  Two hundred environmental activists, wildlife rangers and indigenous leaders trying to protect their land were killed in 2016, according to the watchdog group Global Witness – more than double the number killed five years ago.  And the frequency of killings is only increasing as 2017 ticks by, according to data provided exclusively to the Guardian, with 98 killings identified in the first five months of this year.

7. What do you know about Intangible Cultural Heritage?  The UN says:

The term ‘cultural heritage’ has changed content considerably in recent decades, partially owing to the instruments developed by UNESCO.  Cultural heritage does not end at monuments and collections of objects.  It also includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts.  While fragile, intangible cultural heritage is an important factor in maintaining cultural diversity in the face of growing globalization.  An understanding of the intangible cultural heritage of different communities helps with intercultural dialogue, and encourages mutual respect for other ways of life.  The importance of intangible cultural heritage is not the cultural manifestation itself but rather the wealth of knowledge and skills that is transmitted through it from one generation to the next. The social and economic value of this transmission of knowledge is relevant for minority groups and for mainstream social groups within a State, and is as important for developing States as for developed ones. …

Here are some examples.  If you browse through the pages you will see that the UK only seems to have 3 cases which suggests that we might take the idea more seriously.

8. The NY Times has an article on the importance of wildlife corridors in conservation.  Here’s part of it:

“When a species becomes isolated in a small disconnected patch of habitat, unable to breed with larger populations elsewhere, it runs a much higher risk of going extinct locally.  And since many of the world’s forests are increasingly fragmented, carved up by roads and farms, it seems inevitable that many species within those remaining patches will soon vanish forever.  But in recent years, some ecologists have asked whether they can help stave off an extinction crisis … .  The idea is to link together the world’s remaining forest islands by planting small corridors of trees between them, allowing native birds, mammals and plants to spread between the fragments, mingle with their brethren and become more resilient against extinction threats.

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