Santa Cruz Environmental Education Center: First in Bolivia

by Autonomous State Government
(Santa Cruz Bolivia)


The Government of the State of Santa Cruz Bolivia, is implementing Bolivia's first Environmental Education Center with the objective of contributing to creating awareness among the population regarding environmental conservation and sustainable development, with the active participation of the public and private sectors.


1.BACKGROUND Since August 2004 the Prefecture of Santa Cruz (now the Autonomous State Government) has owned land transferred to it by the state-owned oil company Y.P.F.B. to be used for the implementation of an Environmental Education Center. This land, according to Law 2036, is the Prefecture's counterpart.

Currently the Environmental Education Center project has completed construction of an administrative module covering 841 square meters (96%) with an investment of Bs. 1,561,160 and it is already receiving students from various schools who are being trained on environmental issues.

The Environmental Education Center will be used as a space for interpreting nature and researching biodiversity and will primarily benefit the student population and general population of the department (state) of Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

The project is promoted by the Autonomous State Government of Santa Cruz, through its State Secretary of Sustainable Development and received initial support from the Spanish agency for cooperation. It is the first of its kind and will be located on 132,533.74 square meters of land on UV24 on the Third Ring, near the downtown area of Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

The State of Santa Cruz has a population of about 1,545,648 inhabitants in its urban area. Of these, 33% are students who attend a total of 1069 primary and high schools and 15 public and private universities in the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. There are 3243 schools throughout the entire state. (Sources: INE 2006, Seduca, and www.minedu.gob.bo). This means Santa Cruz has the largest number of students in Bolivia and it is this student population that will primarily benefit from the center.

2.VISION To have an Environmental Education Center that will function
as a space to gather and disseminate information on environmental issues, and to recover and manifest different experiences and realities of our natural environment.

3.MISION Generate Environmental Education strategies to promote training, information and awareness among the general population regarding the conservation of our natural environment.

4.OBJETIVES Have the necessary infrastructure to carry out activities that will contribute to increasing awareness among the population regarding the conservation of our natural environment and the sustainable development of the state, through active participation by both the public and private sectors.

5.EXPECTED RESULTS

·Environmental management strengthened by means of the continuous generation of education and research processes and activities on environmental conservation.

·Strategic alliances form to benefit the sustainable development of our region.

·Consolidation of a physical space with all the infrastructure and outdoor areas necessary to carry out training, informational and awareness-raising activities regarding the cultural and natural heritage we strive to preserve.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER - LANDSCAPING

According to the master plan for the construction of the Environmental Education Center, all architectural and urban landscaping details have been taken into account to enable the population to learn about our natural resources while in the city.

The Environmental Education Center is a park with an environmental theme, conceived as an education and entertainment center, the purpose of which is to study and promote the relationship between human beings and their natural environment in an effort to promote environmental conservation by teaching and helping people to understand our natural heritage. The hope is this will enable them to be more aware of the importance of conserving for the future and improving our current quality of life thereby contributing to transforming our state into a sustainable region that is coherent with the environment.

See more images of what the Environmental Education Center will look like.

For more information
Secretaria de Desarrollo Sostenible y Medio Ambiente
(Secretary of Sustainable Development and the Environment)
Tel. 3636353
Source: www.santacruz.gob.bo

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