The amazon forest in the understanding of children and adolescents of northern and central-Western Brazil

Abstract

This study aims to address a psychological dimension of human behavioral contributions to climate change focusing on the Amazon forest, as its conservation or deforestation determines the degree of severity of this global problem. By using a type of Piagetian clinical interview along with a maquette representing the Amazon forest, we asked 278 participants (140 girls and 138 boys aged between 6 and 19 years; mean age=14) living in urban and rural settings in different Brazilian regions about the main features of the forest. We wanted to find out how they understand and value the human relationship with the forest. The results show that the subjects' explanations are different at certain moments, but overall they reveal some regularities, according to which they were grouped into four types of understanding about the forest. Their understanding varies regarding the depth of environmental concepts, ranging from simple assertions to complex justifications referring to the forest ecosystem. A significant correspondence was found between the level of understanding about the forest and the age and location of the subjects. In all the localities their understanding becomes more sophisticated as they grow up, but those who live near the forest showed a less systematic understanding than those who live away from that environment. Poor quality of education and living in environmental contexts that make it difficult to have meaningful experiences with and in nature are factors that provide some explanation for the aforementioned results. © Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.