This dissertation is submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Education named degree Environmental Education by completion of six taught units and dissertation.
ANITA MÉNDEZ DE REYNA
June, 2003
This dissertation looks into an innovation in the Orinoco Delta in Venezuela in the context of a sustainable development project. It presents a reflection on the factors affecting the process of change and the characteristics of the innovation. The study tries to explore along these two lines, how and why the leadership in attending the factors during the process had an influence in the outcomes; reinforcing ownership and sustainability through coordination and articulation of key actors, having a positive effect in participation and a in new way to see reality.
This study also reviews, how and why environmental learning and capacity building have been fundamental in contributing to a new perspective of reality, improving action towards addressing issues in the Orinoco Delta. As an empirical work it attempts to develop a comprehensible framework drawn from the theory to express the findings.
Data was gathered by reflecting on my personal experience in directing the ‘Orinoco Delta Sustainable Development Project’ for Fundación Tierra Viva, reviewing project reports and records, observations and semi-structured interviews.
The study concluded about the importance of educational models in providing the means for a new way (integrative pedagogies) to address the local issues with a systemic and contextualised view of the local environment; as well as providing the space to change (capacity building) and to develop new strategies to promote coordination and articulation among local stakeholders to discuss the challenges proposed by development with regard to environmental and social conservation.
However I recognized that the Orinoco Delta profile demands very specific action which means that the findings to this study are very limited to the region mentioned. Nevertheless I think the information contained in this study can serve as a reference to similar contexts where education is inefficient, where knowledge about natural resources is poor and not valued, where institutions are week and where there is little understanding about the needs at local level on how and why to implement central policies specially if they are positive.
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