Utilization of City Biodiversity Index for Biodiversity Education to Improve the Urban Environment

2.1. Design of educational CBI for biodiversity education

2.2. Analysis of curriculum for utilization of CBI for education

2.2.1. Analysis target

In order to confirm whether biodiversity education can be conducted in connection with various subjects in relation to educational CBI, previous studies among the general high school subjects (group) of the 2022 revised curriculum (Seong, 2001; Gu, 2012; Park, 2020; Lee et al., 2020), achievement standards by area for the subjects in Table 1 among society (including history/ethics), science, and liberal arts subjects that showed a high level of reflection of environmental education including biodiversity were analyzed.

Table 1.

Subjects for the analysis of achievement criteria related to the CBI for education

The reason why the achievement standard is analyzed is that it is a criterion for class activities (Ministry of Education, 2022) that combines the content that students should learn through the subject and the ability that they can or expect to be able to do after class. This is because it was judged appropriate to examine the relationship between the index and the subject. In addition, achievement standard is a term used almost synonymously with performance standard that indicates what students should learn through subjects and what students can do as a result of learning.

During the actual analysis process, in addition to the achievement standards, we noted the explanations of achievement standards as well as various learning factors; research topics and activities (examples); and matters related to teaching, learning, and evaluation methods and matters. This is because it serves as a guideline for developing textbooks and designing field classes as a wide curriculum achievement standard, so it is possible to identify related learning topics and contents expected to be covered in the curriculum of each subject (Lee et al., 2020).

2.2.2. Analysis tools and methods

For the analysis framework of achievement standards by area in the curriculum and standards, each level related to educational CBI, which were created by referring to the analysis tools of Seong(2001), Gu(2012), and Park(2020), respectively were shown in Table 2.

Table 2.

Criteria for each level assessing the relatedness of achievement standards for each subject to the CBI for Education and the symbols used to represent them in this paper

In terms of evaluations as closely related (●), for example, it is closely related (●) to the achievement standard of integrated science [10IS2-01-02: See table 4]. It can be inferred that the evolution of living organisms occurred through the occurrence of variation and natural selection, and that biodiversity was formed through the process of evolution. The available CBI indicators for education are indicator 1, indicators 3-7, and indicators 16-28. Indicator 1 is an indicator that evaluates the ratio of natural areas within a city. Natural areas generally refer to ecosystems such as forests, grasslands, rivers, and wetlands that can be judged to have high biodiversity (i.e. ecosystem diversity). Indicators 3 to 7 are indicators that evaluate the number or change in the number of species of algae, vascular plants, and arthropods, indicating species diversity, and indicators 15 to 28 are indicators related to biodiversity conservation measures in terms of governance and management.

If there is no difficulty in achieving the achievement standard even after expanding the curriculum and linking it with the CBI index, it was evaluated as related (◎).

2.3. Actual application of CBI for education

Urban biodiversity in Cheongju was evaluated as of 2021 using CBI for education. In 2017, Chungcheongbuk-do evaluated Cheongju-si CBI results and compared them to find implications for biodiversity education. The reason why Cheongju City was selected as a CBI-applied city for education is that Chungcheongbuk-do conducted a CBI evaluation for Cheongju in 2017, and the monitoring function of CBI can be confirmed through comparison with this evaluation. In addition, the 2021 urban ecological status map has been completed and basic data are in place. In addition, Cheongju Wonheung, which is considered a successful case of public conflict resolution (Park and Kwon, 2016), is a city with experience in resolving conflicts by creating a toad ecological park. It is characterized by a local government that is interested in. A statistical nonparametric test was performed on the differences between the 2017 and 2021 Cheongju city biodiversity index scores using the wilcox test. Non-parametric tests were performed using RStudio 2024. 04.2.+764.

3.1. Design of educational CBI for biodiversity education

3.1.4. Analysis of educational CBI from the perspective of biodiversity education

Table 3 shows the location of CBI for education in the biodiversity curriculum framework.

Table 3.

Relation between the biodiversity curriculum framework and CBI indicators for education

As a tool for measuring urban biodiversity, all CBI indicators for education are Ⅲ. It is related to monitoring at the level of investigation and evaluation (A) and knowledge and skills (B). Through monitoring (Ⅲ-A), long-term trends in biodiversity in the region can be observed and the future of biodiversity can be predicted. By comparing evaluation results over time, city values and points of improvement can be found, which can lead to new policy proposals. In order to evaluate urban biodiversity, knowledge and skills (III-B) that identify indicators and information, investigate, and synthesize information are required, and knowledge and skills can be trained in the evaluation process through feedback.

Among the educational CBI indicators, indicators 1 and 7 in table 3 evaluate ecosystem diversity (Ⅰ-A), and indicators 3 to 7 evaluate species diversity (Ⅰ-A). In particular, the ecosystem diversity realized in cities is important because diverse habitats support species diversity, genetic diversity, molecular diversity, and are involved in maintaining functional diversity. Indicator 7 identifies not only quantitative efforts to increase the area restored, but also qualitative efforts to restore different habitat types, by identifying the number of restored habitat types compared to those existing within the city, thereby further emphasizing the concept of ecosystem diversity.

The ecological importance of biodiversity (Ⅰ-C), the most repetitive emphasis in science subjects is ecosystem stability. Through the educational CBI, material cycles (indicator 10) and ecosystem services (indicators 10 to 13) can be learned with examples. In particular, in the era of climate crisis, we experience frequent environmental disasters such as heavy rain and heat waves. The higher the impervious area of a city (indicator 10), the lower the amount of inflow into the groundwater, which, coupled with the increased consumption of groundwater, affects the water circulation. It also means that a separate system should be prepared for heavy rain and sewage overflow (Vermonden et al., 2012). In relation to heat waves, shade formed by green spaces, especially shrubs (indicator 12), reduces the urban heat island effect. Despite its importance, ecosystem services are not explicitly covered in educational content including textbooks (Rodríguez-Loinaz and Palacios-Agundez, 2022), and CBI for education is an opportunity to introduce the concept of ecosystem services and confirm its value in urban environments.

3.2. Analysis of curriculum for utilization of CBI for education

Table 4 shows the results of analyzing the relationship between the 2022 revised high school curriculum achievement standards and educational CBI indicators.

Table 4.

Results of the analysis of the level of relevance between high school subject achievement standards and CBI for education

For each subject, 5 Ecology and environment, 4 integrated science, 4 integrated society Ⅰ, 1 integrated society Ⅱ, 2 climate change and ecology, 1 global citizenship and geography, 1 politics and law, Relations with the CBI indicators for education were confirmed in the achievement criteria of 2 in Modern society and Ethics, and 1 in Life Science.

Particularly closely related (●) subjects were ecology and environment, and integrated science. In particular, the main contents of the achievement standards [12 EE 04-02] (Ecology and environment), and [10 IS 2-01-02] (Integrated Science) are related to more than 20 CBI indicators. However, since these achievement standards deal with the meaning and value of biodiversity and biodiversity conservation measures, they could show high relevance.

The achievement criterion that showed the highest correlation with educational CBI was the ecology and environment [12 EE 04 – 02]. Although the number of related indicators itself is similar to that of integrated science [10 IS 2-02-02], it is much more explicit in identifying the relationship between biodiversity issues and social systems and requesting participation in conservation activities. Looking at the description of the achievement standard, Understand the role and interaction of organisms in the ecosystem from the natural science and social science aspects through cases such as reckless capture, introduction of alien species, and habitat destruction, and the economic, social, and cultural values of organisms. By recognizing this, students participate directly or indirectly in biodiversity conservation and its activities, and through discussions, they can infer the impact of biodiversity loss on ecosystems and social systems. We pursue a multifaceted understanding related to biodiversity, including the natural and social scientific aspects of causes and effects, the value of organisms, and conservation and participation in biodiversity.

At this time, it is important to think about not only international agreements and international organization data, but also what efforts we can make in our lives. Considering that CBI is an evaluation criterion proposed based on an international treaty called the convention on biological diversity (CBD), and an indicator that aims to improve and maintain urban biodiversity through management in terms of city government and governance, it is a global It is a good material to look at local efforts at the intermediate level between effort and effort in individual daily life. As a common subject that all high school students must study, integrated science [10 IS 2-01-02] is particularly important in biodiversity education.

Among the CBI indicators for education, climate control (indicator 11), recreation (indicator 12), health and well-being (indicator 13) and urban agriculture (indicator 14) in the ecosystem services sector represent the value of biodiversity to benefit humans, which It is also related to integrated science [10 IS 2-02-01] and ecoloy and environment [12 EE 04 – 02].

3.3. Actual application of CBI for education

3.3.1. Comprehensive results of CBI evaluation for education in Cheongju-si

The results of the evaluation of urban biodiversity in Cheongju by CBI for education are shown in Table 5, with scores ranging from 82 to 85. The scores in Table 5 are assigned 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 points according to each indicator, and were calculated accordingly.

Table 5.

Comparison of 2017 Cheongju CBI evaluation results and educational CBI evaluation results

4.1. Educational CBI as a tool for biodiversity education

Menzel and Bögeholz(2009) summarized the difficulties of biodiversity from an educational point of view. They argue that the nature of the term biodiversity leaves room for it to be equated with and conceptually reduced to species diversity, that the cause of biodiversity loss is complex, but it is likely to focus on an ecological perspective, and that biodiversity is a problem in a specific region. Points that were highly likely to be accepted were pointed out.

Educational CBI can be a supplement to the above difficulties. First, a number of indicators for biodiversity other than species diversity, especially ecosystem diversity, can be included to avoid narrowing the concept. Indicators 3 to 6 are related to species diversity, and indicators 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 10, 12, and 19 are related to ecosystem diversity. Although the range of natural areas is slightly different for each indicator, based on the urban ecological status map, various biotopes are included in the city, and the need to protect them and maintain connectivity can be known. In the cases of indicators 2 and 8, it is possible to learn about genetic diversity through maintenance and connectivity of microhabitats by ecological networks against habitat fragmentation, and forest genetic resource protection areas, respectively.

Second, it is easy to introduce social, economic and political approaches to biodiversity issues. The CBI, the parent of the CBI for Education, was created to assess and monitor the progress of cities' biodiversity conservation efforts. Unlike the Shannon-Wiener index (H´) and the Simpson index, which are representative diversity indices used in the scientific field, CBI measures environmental, economic, and social variables necessary for urban societies to manage biodiversity. Representative economic indicator 16 evaluates financial efforts to maintain and enhance biodiversity through city budgets, and indicators 10 to 14, which are ecosystem service indicators, and indicator 18, which is related to the assessment of natural capital, evaluate the economic value of various services provided by nature. By valuing, it is possible to recognize and evaluate the value. Indicators of governance and management items are all related to social, political and legal approaches. This is also shown in the results of a study examining the relevance of the biodiversity curriculum framework and CBI for education. The scientific, social, economic, and political characteristics of each indicator were partially revealed in Research Result 2. Analysis of Curriculum for Utilization of CBI for Education. In addition to science subjects, relevance to educational CBI indicators was found in general social studies, geography, environment, and technology and home economics subjects. In addition, CBI for education can methodologically support science teachers. Science teachers, who are the main subjects of biodiversity education in general, have difficulty dealing with methodologies such as discussion, critical reading, role play, and writing activities that are not commonly used in science education (Gayford, 2000). CBI for education helps science teachers introduce various perspectives by the characteristics of the indicators themselves, without using unfamiliar methods. As such, linking each area through educational CBI will provide learners with complex perspectives such as science, society, politics, economy, and environment to enhance understanding of biodiversity issues and expand the scope of biodiversity education.

Third, it helps to recognize biodiversity issues at the local level. If instructors look at the places that are mainly exemplified in biodiversity education, they are often biodiversity hotspots such as Africa and tropical rain forests. Although this is a place where action is relatively urgent, if this is repeated, there is a risk that learners will perceive biodiversity issues as a local problem (Menzel and Bögeholz, 2009). In order to prevent this, opportunities should be provided to recognize that biodiversity loss is a global problem, and that it is happening not only in distant countries, but also in this land. A similar point is that the problem of biodiversity loss focuses on exotic species and environments, especially on species, especially large animals, rather than on habitats. Compared to the interest in specific exotic animals, such as elephants and polar bears, interest in plants and endemic or endemic species whose biodiversity loss is serious is lacking both educationally and socially (Gayford, 2000).

In general, urban biodiversity is judged to be poor (Secretariat of the CBD, 2010). As a result of industrialization or urbanization, it is thought that there is little space for organisms to live (Menzel and Bögeholz, 2009). However, on average, 70% of plant species and 94% of bird species found in cities were found to grow naturally in surrounding areas (Secretariat of the CBD, 2010). In this way, learners realize that biodiversity issues are realized at the local level through educational CBI, and that various organisms and their habitats exist around them and can be managed by humans. In addition, CBI indicators for education target living organisms and arthropods such as plants, birds, and butterflies native to cities, enabling recognition of various taxa living in the region. This approach based on the place where one lives is in line with the principle of everyday life in environmental education (Nam, 1995).

The use of CBI for education in biodiversity education is meaningful as a tool to supplement difficulties in existing biodiversity education and to realize biodiversity issues in the lives of urban learners.

4.2. Educational CBI from the perspective of urban environment education

Urban biodiversity assessment by urban learners through educational CBI can also find its meaning in the context of urban environmental education. By assessing urban biodiversity, learners can use the urban environment as a classroom to increase their understanding of the region (Russ and Kransy, 2015). It is possible to grasp the ecological characteristics of the region as well as the budget, administrative system, various institutions, and governance situation. In particular, in order to evaluate governance and management items, it is necessary to look at the homepage and public documents of local governments and search for local governments in the portal. In the process, not only biodiversity, but also the background of the projects and achievements, organizations, and events operated by the local government are learned. It is to understand the urban system in context.

Also, the city can be viewed from the perspective of biodiversity. In addition to sparrows and pigeons, a variety of birds live in the city, trees along roads provide not only beautiful scenery but also shade in summer, and flower beds with bees flying contribute to the ecological network. On the other hand, roads that represent the speed and convenience of urban life act as ecologically artificial barriers and disconnection elements, and are made of asphalt to increase the imperviousness of the city. This perspective helps to recognize the city as a part of the biosphere, including nature, and as a socio-ecological system that evolves while interacting with people (Russ and Kransy, 2015). Furthermore, we can understand that man-made socio-economic systems are fundamentally connected to natural ecosystems. Local interests extend globally.

By assessing the biodiversity of the city in which they live, learners learn skills as citizens along with an understanding of the region. According to Russ and Kransy(2015), through urban environment education, youth can learn life and civic skills and improve their self-esteem, and the community can improve their empowerment. This is because the development of the individual and society are interrelated. People with critical thinking, active citizenship, etc. participate in urban planning and work to solve community problems. The overarching objective of the biodiversity curriculum framework is to help students become environmentally savvy, skilled and committed citizens committed to individually and collectively working to maintain and enhance biodiversity at the local or global level, it can be expected that biodiversity education through educational CBI will serve as a stepping stone to help grow from youth to citizens and expand the field of view from the region to the earth.

4.3. Usage direction of CBI for education

the biodiversity curriculum framework (Peyton et al., 1995), the current educational situation can be identified and future development directions can be suggested (Lee et al., 2020). As the curriculum was revised, the cognitive domain of understanding the concept of biodiversity (levels Ⅰ and Ⅱ) expanded to include the defining and social domain of values such as preservation and conservation (levels Ⅲ and Ⅳ) (Lee, 2019). CBI for education is Ⅱ. Social politics at the level of conceptual awareness of biodiversity issues and values (G), Ⅲ. It was closely related to monitoring at the level of investigation and evaluation (A) and knowledge and skills (B) [Table IV -7]. Based on this, I would like to suggest the direction of using CBI for education in biodiversity education.

The balance between knowing, feeling, and acting about the environment is very important, but since proper awareness of the environment is based on the knowledge and skills acquired through environmental education, it is essential to acquire and develop basic knowledge about the environment. (Choi et al., 2007). Likewise, good knowledge of biodiversity concepts is fundamental to effective biodiversity learning. Although the meaning and importance of biodiversity from a global ecological perspective and the causes of its decline are fully covered in science classes, it is difficult to cover the cognitive and social realms beyond the cognitive realm pursued by the achievement standards.

At this point, the use of CBI for education is possible. Building on the concepts learned in science class, CBI for education can be used to capture the practice of biodiversity and ecosystem services, governance and management on a regional scale. In particular, governance and management items are important. When talking about biodiversity conservation efforts with students after science class, they talk about vague environmental protection practices at a personal level, such as reducing disposables and not throwing away garbage. Looking at the policies and systems of local governments through the governance and management items of the CBI for education, and examining in what respects the policies and systems can preserve the city's biodiversity, it will serve as an opportunity to broaden the scope of thinking. In addition, CBI for education can train the knowledge and skills to collect and synthesize information in the process of evaluating each indicator. This knowledge and skills can be applied not only to the field of biodiversity but also to other fields, and belongs to knowledge information processing capability, which is one of the core competencies to be cultivated in the 2022 revised curriculum.