School-based environmental education in the context of a research and development project on integrated water resources management: experiences from Mongolia

Capacity development is one important prerequisite for the successful implementation of integrated water resources management (IWRM). In this paper, a school network that was set up in the context of a research and development project on water resources management in northern Mongolia is analyzed. Schools constitute a potentially very relevant target group for IWRM capacity development via environmental education. In the project described here, a training program targeting both teachers and high school students focused on hands-on learning in the field and laboratory, thereby contributing to the project’s overarching goal (an integrated approach toward conservation of water resources and aquatic ecosystems). Both students and teachers were interviewed in order to assess the intervention’s outcome. It is discussed to what degree the training program helped to (a) enhance students’ knowledge of regional water-related problems and potential solutions and (b) induce attitudinal and behavioral changes in students. On this basis, it is evaluated how the training program contributed toward capacity development for students and teachers and ultimately implementing IWRM.