Let's save the petate community environmental project, las pozas, municipality of Bahía Honda, Artemisa

Abstract

The objective of this work is to present the results of the community environmental project Save the Petate, executed between the years 2005-2017 and developed by environmental educators from the National Botanical Garden of Cuba, in coordination with the San Juan de Guacamaya, from the National Company for the Protection of Flora and Fauna. The different target groups, main educational actions carried out and the results obtained. The analysis-synthesis, logical-deductive and ethnographic methods, in addition to documentary analysis, direct and participant observation, the application of semi-structured ethnographic interviews and knowledge of life stories, served as a theoretical-methodological basis for the research carried out. The main actors of the project were artisans, primary and secondary school students, gardeners, family doctors, senior citizens and religious people. Among the main actions carried out are the promotion of interest in history and local natural heritage values, the promotion of adequate environmental conservation education, the increase in community tree cover with the cultivation of endemic and native trees and the elimination of invasive plants. The project allowed the extension of the community educational actions of the National Botanical Garden, helped to improve the links of the garden with the community of Las Pozas, created a sense of environmental belonging in its members, and promoted popular action in the solution and promotion of local environmental problems.