WWF believes that education is about possibility - increasing people's capability and potential to affect and effect change. We recognize that without a change in values, technical measures will have little effect. Thus, education is a critical component of WWF's work.

Unsustainable development practices in China have created an urgent need to strengthen environmental protection and reform policies, institutions and processes. Education has significant roles to play in bringing about changes toward a sustainable future and promoting public participation in decision-making which is the core of sustainable development.

Education for sustainability

Education for sustainability (EFS) focusses on promoting the concept of sustainablity - the wise, appropriate, and efficient use of resources, so that population and demand do not damage the environment's long-term life-supporting ability. WWF is working to promote EFS in the following key areas:

• Professional development: Educating the educators is key to reaching students across China. Through the establishment of Teacher Training Centers, WWF provides EFS training to educators throughout the country. WWF also holds regular workshops involving international educators and offers training opportunities overseas. A certificate course and a Master degree course in education for sustainability are being developed.



• Resource Development: Producing resources is an effective strategy to change teaching practice. In China, as education for sustainability is a relatively new idea, there is a lack of materials and trained teachers. Together with our partners, WWF is developing resources for primary and middle school teachers to help them integrate education for sustainability into the school curriculum.



• School Implementation: Developing resources, training teachers - these strategies are essential, but they are often insufficient in themselves if the curriculum of schools and training institutions remains unchanged. WWF is working with teachers in select pilot schools to promote student-centered and inquiry-based learning which contributes to students' development as informed and responsible citizens. This is in line with current educational reforms in China which seek to develop educational methodologies that make classroom teaching and learning more active, relevant, and challenging. In 2000, China's Ministry of Education began developing new curriculum guidelines for China's schools. It invited WWF to coordinate the development of the national guideline on environment education, which was submitted in December 2001 and if approved will be in use by spring 2002.



• Greening Higher Education: Higher education plays a significant role in realizing sustainable development. Greening higher education is composed of four key aspects: curriculum integration, community link, university management, and student involvement. WWF began its work in higher education in 1999, when an international workshop was held in collaboration with Tsinghua University, and supported by the Higher Education Department of the Ministry of Education and State Environmental Protection Administration. Two more national conferences were conducted as a followup to this initiative. WWF's Education Program now continues to explore further opportunities in the field of greening higher education.



• Community Education: Community-based education is an important component of the overall strategy of education for sustainability. It aims to empower local communities through education to actively participate in decision-making and taking action to build a sustainable future. By enhancing individual capacity and establishing institutional mechanisms, WWF's education work in communities intends to engage different sectors of local communities in sustainable resource management.

• Mainstreaming education for sustainability in China's elementary and secondary system through the education of teachers



• Developing educational resources in both formal and non-formal sectors



• Integrating education for sustainability into selected professional training institutions, including China's Central Party School (where government officials receive training) and China's Journalism College



• Building local resource management capacity and strengthening their participation in decision-making



• Increasing environmental awareness and understanding amongst the general public

• China Environmental Education Guidelines
  In 1999 WWF teamed up with the Ministry of Education to draft a set of national environmental education guidelines. The Ministry of Education approved these guidelines in December 2003, making systematic environmental education part of the curriculum for China’s 197 million primary and middle school students.
• Establishing a national Environmental Education Center network
  In conjunction with the Chinese Ministry of Education, WWF established the Environmental Educator’s Initiative, and there is now a nationwide network of Environmental Education Centers and pilot schools, with thousands of teachers being trained and millions of students learning about the environment in a new way.
• Revitalizing indigenous Tibetan culture to help communities and nature on the Roof of the World
  In 2004, WWF signed an agreement with authorities in Deqin Autonomous County and Tibet University to establish the Shangri-La Institute for Sustainable Communities. This institute provides skills to the local communities and draws on their traditional knowledge and culture to inform and invigorate conservation all over China.