Learning biodiversity care in everyday life: teacher education in contrasting biocultural contexts

Earth’s biodiversity decline poses critical biocultural challenges, including food sovereignty and climate change adaptation. Teacher education can play a pivotal role in addressing biodiversity care. This study explores how preservice teachers learn about biodiversity care in teacher education programs, focusing on local biocultural contexts to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education pertinent to local communities. Conducted across three diverse Education Faculties in Chile, qualitative methods such as questionnaires, syllabi analysis, and interviews were employed. Findings reveal that preservice teachers primarily acquire biodiversity knowledge through natural sciences courses, albeit with variations across Faculties. The study highlights the importance of situated perception in connecting biodiversity education to the everyday experiences of preservice teachers. It also underscores the ethical and political dimensions of biodiversity education, including participation, interdependence, social commitment, and integration into daily life. Recommendations include fostering collective responsibility, contextualizing teaching methods, incorporating hands-on projects, and modeling responsible biodiversity stewardship in teacher education.