The Zoo de Barcelona is offering a total of seven learning experiences, adaptable to different school levels, which cover subjects such as zoology, biology, ecology, biodiversity conservation and animal welfare
It is also opening new educational spaces, including a laboratory and a room adapted to nursery-school pupils
This new education plan is part of the Zoo's progress towards becoming a leading centre for biodiversity conservation and the promotion of respect for nature and the environment
The Zoo de Barcelona is presenting a new educational series for primary and secondary schools, with the goal of raising awareness about the need to protect nature. This is a further step in Barcelona Zoo's process of becoming a biodiversity conservation centre and helping to raise awareness of the importance of caring for nature and the environment.
More specifically, this new educational project consists of a series of participation-based activities whose main goal is to help students reconnect with nature and influence their habits, acting as catalysts for change towards a society that is more respectful towards biodiversity and more active in defending it.
There are a total of seven activities, run by Zoo educators and following a practical STEAM methodology involving various subjects and dealing with real-world situations. The subjects include biology, ecology, zoology, biodiversity conservation and animal welfare, with special emphasis on local, native and endangered fauna. The activities can be adapted to any age group, from nursery-school to secondary-school students.
The resources used in these activities include everything from microscopes to models of various natural planetary environments, samples of typical Mediterranean woodland features, and toy animals and plants, among others.
Coinciding with the launch of this new educational programme, the Zoo has also opened new educational spaces, namely a multi-purpose room, a laboratory and two classrooms, one of which has furniture adapted to nursery-school pupils.
A groundbreaking team of educators in Spain
Founded in 1975, Barcelona Zoo's Department of Education is one of the first such departments in Europe and the first in Spain. From the very beginning, it has focused on officially recognised schools and all anyone interested in animals and nature. The Zoo School has helped to train a number of the country's experts in zoology and natural sciences, furthering many careers. Its educators work as a team, following a joint strategy to conserve biodiversity by harnessing zoos and aquariums' enormous potential for sharing knowledge and raising awareness. At an international level, they are all members of the International Zoo Educators Association (IZE) and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). At a regional level, they are grouped under the umbrella of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA) and the Iberian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AIZA), allowing them to constantly deepen their knowledge of this field and adapt to changing realities.
The Zoo is a biodiversity conservation centre and a leading facility for raising environmental awareness
The Zoo de Barcelona new education plan is part of the New Zoo Model project, approved in 2019, which is based on species conservation, research and education. With these new activities, the Zoo furthers its commitment to decisively helping to raise awareness of the need for everyone to help protect nature and the environment.
The Zoo's new educational and awareness-raising programme is supported by an information campaign that makes a visit to the Zoo more than just time spent observing a set of installations with animals, but rather a comprehensive, stimulating experience that helps people to gain new knowledge and invites them to take action. This campaign will be shared on the Zoo's website, blog, social media and all other communication channels.
