The School Biodiversity Alliance aimed at “building the capacity of EU schools to educate newer generations regarding biodiversity conservation and actively engage pupils in being actors of change”. To achieve this, the specific objectives of the project were: S.O.1 Develop an international network of primary schools working toward EU biodiversity goals through education; S.O.2 Support teachers of different disciplines (science, art, foreign languages) and countries to integrate biodiversity education in the school system; S.O.3 Provide learners with opportunities to understand, engage with and value the natural world and its biodiversity, and use creativity to design solutions to the biodiversity crisis.
On the 16th of June 2022, the Council adopted recommendations to stimulate learning for the green transition and sustainable development, which calls for education, networking, and new practices to promote biodiversity education to stop biodiversity loss. The Council has identified the needs of educational institutions to:1)Involve young people in designing solutions related to learning for the green transition and sustainable development 2)Ensure that all learners can access equitable and inclusive education on environmental protection and biodiversity 3)Make biodiversity issues relevant to the daily lives of the learners and foster a culture of sustainability 4)Develop in close cooperation with relevant stakeholders, curriculum programes and frameworks to develop sustainability competencies, while making it more relevant to learners through local examples and problems. Our project has addressed them by:1)providing scientific and evidence-based knowledge regarding biodiversity conservation and loss 2)engaging students in a collaborative and creative process to think about solutions to problems both at local and international level 3)engaging school staff in integrating biodiversity education in their daily work.