Efforts to protect biodiversity must begin with education, fostering environmental awareness, critical thinking, and responsible behaviour among learners from an early age. This was stated by Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan in her address at Biodiversity Education Day, held as part of COP17.
“Biodiversity loss is one of the most serious challenges of our time. Addressing it requires not only effective environmental policies, but also knowledge, responsibility, and the active engagement of all segments of society. In this context, education becomes a key instrument for fostering a conscious attitude towards nature and developing the skills needed to protect it.
“For Armenia, biodiversity conservation is a particularly important priority, given the country’s rich biodiversity and natural ecosystems, which are a valuable national asset and require consistent, long-term conservation policies,” the Minister noted, reaffirming Armenia’s commitment to advancing biodiversity education.
In this context, Zhanna Andreasyan highlighted the importance of strengthening the role of education in promoting sustainable development, integrating environmental knowledge into the learning process, and fostering stronger connections between learners, nature, and their communities. She stressed that education should go beyond the transmission of theoretical knowledge, enabling learners to apply what they have learned in practice by participating in environmental initiatives.
The Minister also underscored the importance of the Global Plan of Action for Education on Biodiversity (GPA-EB), highlighting the need for effective cooperation among national education policymakers, environmental initiatives, civil society, young people, local communities, and international organizations.
The event was held under the theme “Biodiversity Education for Transformative Change: Implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework through Education and Action.”
Changing people’s relationship with nature
Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, also highlighted the importance of education in biodiversity conservation and fostering environmental awareness, highlighting in particular the active engagement of young people. She also addressed the new Global Plan of Action for Education on Biodiversity, describing it as an important framework for coordinating international efforts.
Antonio Abreu, Director of UNESCO’s Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences, stressed that achieving biodiversity conservation goals requires a change in people’s attitudes and behaviour towards nature.
“We cannot achieve the ambitious targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework without changing the way people perceive and value their relationship with nature. Education is a fundamental prerequisite for this transformation,” Antonio Abreu noted, emphasizing that education must extend beyond the classroom, connecting knowledge with practical action and nature conservation with people’s everyday lives.
Thematic Discussions
As part of Biodiversity Education Day, thematic discussions and interactive workshops will address the integration of biodiversity topics across different levels of education, teacher capacity development, innovative approaches to environmental education, and ways to expand community engagement.
Participants include representatives of government agencies, international and non-governmental organizations, educational institutions, youth initiatives, and the environmental sector.
One of the event’s key topics is the draft ‘Global Plan of Action for Education on Biodiversity’, which aims to promote knowledge of biodiversity, strengthen capacities for nature conservation, and encourage broad public participation.
The event is jointly organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Commission on Education and Communication of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN CEC), and the Armenian Presidency of COP17.