Conflitos socioambientais: Desafios enfrentados pelos professores para prática de Educação Ambiental

Abstract

Environmental Education, a field of knowledge, has been considered an important alternative to work with the existing socio-environmental conflicts in relation to the Conservation Units, and the school space has proved to be decisive for its implementation. Commonly, the rural environment is configured as a source of environmental resources for the survival of farmers and their families, however, legislative restrictions for exploitation lead to penalties, which cause discontent on the part of small rural producers. Given this context, this research aimed to investigate in what extent the theme of environmental conflicts is present in school spaces, considering that they are part of a historically extractive region. The research adopted a qualitative approach and the participants were teachers and managers from a municipality located in the interior of the state of Paraná, who participated in a focus group and in the application of a questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out through content analysis by Bardin (1977). The results revealed the subject’s perception of economic stagnation and lack of perspective in relation to the municipality. In addition, there was a conflict on the part of the teachers when working on the environmental theme, a situation influenced by the fact that they are small landowners. This situation led them to a perception that they are harmed in relation to environmental legislation, while showing that they understand that, as teachers, they must defend the sustainable use of natural resources. This ambiguity is worrying, since it can interfere with classroom practice. We understand that the adoption of the Environmental Education principles in their critical aspect, starting from the existing environmental conflicts, that problematize them, can be a way to the practice of Environmental Educacion in this context, contributing also to a conscious citizen formation, more able to intervene in their reality.