Teaching Environmental Sciences in an International and Interdisciplinary Framework: from Arid to Alpine Ecosystems in NE-Spain

Abstract

There is a growing need to develop, teach, and apply successful problem-solving and interdisciplinary approaches on environmental sciences education. Some of most effective learning activities are fieldwork, although sites to be visited have to be carefully selected to reduce time and expenses as well as to take account of safety concerns. That is the case for the teaching locations selected to develop an interdisciplinary, international, and intensive course in NE Spain. Within a distance of about 150 km, students can visit arid, Mediterranean, and Alpine environments, in one of the largest ecological gradients in Europe. In each environment, different sites are visited to analyse natural characteristics, ecological and socio-economic constraints and potentials, as well as the impact of the historical human utilisation in landscapes and ecosystems. Throughout the course, the participants focus on exploring sustainable land-use alternatives to developing rural areas in the visited environments. This teaching approach is aimed at students at degree, master, and Ph.D. level of biology, ecology, agriculture and forestry, landscape planning, and environmental technology. More than 400 students from different countries in Europe have participated since 1998 under the auspices of different SOCRATES and ERASMUS Intensive Programmes.