Abstract
Conservation education encompasses effective pedagogical practices that enhance knowledge of the environment and foster responsible environmental actions. In addition to building an informed citizenry, conservation education is shaped by theoretical stances about the components necessary to cultivate environmental responsibility among participants and their communities. Highlighting three of our own conservation education projects in Sri Lanka as case studies, we draw from research and debates about environmental responsibility to illustrate the incorporation of environmental engagement and responsibility into these efforts, and the difficulties that arise in doing so. Sri Lanka is one of eight global biodiversity hotspots prioritized for conservation intervention. Its high endemism, alarming rates of habitat degradation, and disproportionate climate change risks as a tropical island nation make it an important site for promoting environmental responsibility. Our diverse examples demonstrate the variety of educational approaches that can be utilized to promote environmentally responsible values and, ideally, action. While our projects focus on protecting Sri Lanka’s endemic and endangered species, this is coupled with protecting their ecological environments, including from the deleterious impacts of human actions and climate change, reinforcing the role of education and community action in safeguarding these ecosystems.
Type of Issue
Special issue
Recommended Citation
Miller, Jody and Abegunawardhana, Pasindu Dilshan
(2026)
"Conservation Education and the Cultivation of Environmental Responsibility: Case Studies from Sri Lanka,"
International Journal on Responsibility: Vol. 9:
Iss.
1, Article 5.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.62365/2576-0955.1159
Available at:
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/ijr/vol9/iss1/5
DOI
10.62365/2576-0955.1159
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
