Biodiversity as a Postmodern Theme for Environmental Education

Abstract

Environmental education in a postmodern world will have to be sensitive to the ill-defined nature of emerging key concepts such as biodiversity and sustainability. Despite all the confusion about such concepts, one thing is clear: there is no one single way of looking at them or defining them. In other words, there is no one single perspective or definition of biodiversity or sus-tainability that accurately describes them in all situations or contexts. Although this “ill-definedness ” renders such concepts useless or reduces them to a rhetorical instrument from a mod-ernist point of view, it makes them attractive from a postmod-ernist perspective. When acknowledging the need for respect for pluralism (respect for different ways of looking, valuing, under-standing, etc.), the ever presence of elements of ambivalence and uncertainty in environmental decision-making and the need for learning situated in a rich context, environmental educators in a postmodern world will find merit in the ill-defined nature of these emerging concepts. Using biodiversity as an example the authors illustrate the educational appeal of ill-definedness. Biodiversity brings together different groups in society in search for a common language to discuss nature conservation issues in relation to sustainability issues. The mere fact that these groups, with diverging backgrounds, focus on a common concept—even though what the concept means to each group varies—allows for a socio-scientific dispute to emerge. This socio-scientific dis-pute provides an excellent opportunity for learning about a highly relevant, controversial, emotionally charged and debat-able topic at the crossroads of science, technology and society. Special attention is given to the role of scientific knowledge in such disputes.