Abstract

Aquatic ecosystems are a crucial component of Earth's ecosystems. It provides services like habitat to protect biodiversity, a source of food, nutrients, etc, and environmental services, like purification and nutrient cycling. However, aquatic ecosystems are increasingly at risk of human interference. Environmental education (EE) has become a popular method of exploitation of these ecosystems and promotes sustainable activities for conservation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate (or assess) the impact of EE on knowledge and sustainable activities to protect aquatic ecosystems. The study uses a mixed methods approach to evaluate knowledge before and after the event and evaluate the attitudes and activities of the participants qualitatively. The sample included 300 participants comprising students, community members, and environmental educators. The education intervention has an effect on the participants. The pre knowledge is a good indicator of knowledge after the event. Improving knowledge is an indicator of the education obtained. ANOVA analysis showed significant differences in the effectiveness of the post-program knowledge, with educators in the environment group having the highest post-program knowledge (M = 67.5), followed by students (M = 63.4) and community members (M = 64.2). This shows the range in impacts of the knowledge of the environmental educator group. Cohen's d effect size showed a large impact for all demographic groups, with students (d = 1.75), environmental educators (d = 2.1), and community members (d=1.8) standing out. This shows the impact of the program. It is seen from the study that EE programs help create knowledge and impact sustainable behavior in a positive way, but for long-term impact, community-based strategies need to be stronger. There is a need to create longitudinal studies for EE programs and also studies on the impact of virtual reality to engage participants more in the programs.

Keywords: Aquatic ecosystems, Environmental education, Sustainability, Ecosystem health, Conservation, Biodiversity, Behavioral change