Biodiversity School strengthens the connection between science, education and community in Rio Claro

Por: Gabriela Andrietta

The Biodiversity School is a university extension project that aims to act as a bridge between science, environmental education and public engagement. Coordinated by four professors — three of whom are affiliated with CBioClima — the initiative focuses mainly on the relationship between urban forests, biodiversity and quality of life.

In the first half of 2025, the project promoted an in-person course aimed at teachers from the public and private schools of Rio Claro and the region. Four meetings were held, on 05/17, 05/31, 06/14 and a closing session on 07/05, always from 8 am to 12 pm.

Meetings held on 05/17, 05/31, 06/14 and 07/05 at Unesp in Rio Claro.

The course aimed to update educators on contemporary concepts of ecology, interdisciplinary pedagogical practices, and environmental awareness tools. The training covered topics such as the role of biodiversity in our lives, threats to natural and human ecosystems, and strategies to preserve the health of the planet.

The theoretical classes, taught by Prof. Dr. Thaise Emílio, Prof. Dr. Caleb Califre Martins, Prof. Dr. Pedro Bergamo, Prof. Dr. Gabriel Brejão, and Prof. Dr. Maria Bernadete Sarti da Silva Carvalho, from the Department of Education, addressed topics such as biodiversity and quality of life, climate change, ecosystem services, and the impacts of land use.

In the inaugural class, Caleb highlighted the complexity of biodiversity, inspiring reflections among the participants:

“We don’t see the entire biodiversity, we only see part of it. The course awakened this view of the complexity of ecological relationships that we brought to the discussions in the classrooms”, commented professor Cícero Dias da Silva.

The third meeting, held on June 14, was a practical visit to the Edmundo Navarro de Andrade State Forest (FEENA), an important urban protected area in Rio Claro. During the activity, the educators followed routes aimed at observing land use and coverage, invasive species in landscaping, the coffee cycle and the impacts of changes in natural environments.

Visita à Feena

According to Marina Jutkoski Guerra, a preschool teacher:

“We go to FEENA many times, but it’s different when we understand the complexity of what’s there. That’s what’s enchanting, and only those who are enchanted can enchant their students.”

In addition to strengthening the theoretical and practical repertoire of teachers, the course encouraged the development of lesson plans and interdisciplinary proposals aligned with the local reality. Topics such as medicinal plants, agroecology and composting led teacher Geliane Santos to plan the creation of a vegetable garden at the school starting in the second semester.

The next action of the Biodiversity School will be a BioBlitz, an activity that integrates the iNaturalist platform. The action will be held at FEENA on August 30 and will involve both participants and the community in a collective effort to observe and record urban biodiversity. The idea is to promote citizen science through prior training on how to use the platform.

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The Biodiversity School, a project that informs and raises awareness, will continue with new actions in the second half of the year and is already planning a new edition of the training course for March 2026.