19、Insectariums as environmental education at Taipei Zoo

 

Chueh Hou

Taipei Zoo

 

Legislation related to environmental education is becoming a global trend. Taiwan is the fourth nation in Asia and the sixth in the world to legislate an Environmental Education Act which was implemented in June 2011. All related personnel in the public sector and students of elementary and junior high schools are required to receive more than four hours of environmental education annually under enactment of the Environmental Education Act. Taipei Zoo obtained environmental education premises certification in April 2012 and has developed various environmental education programs since then. Insects are an excellent resource for environmental education. Many insects are easily maintained indoors and can happily thrive despite being handled and kept in captivity. The remarkable diversity in form and function of commonly found insects promotes interest and enthusiasm for outdoor exploring. Insectarium is a four hour entomology camp combined with environmental education for elementary school kids to understand the relationships between insects and their habitats, aiming to give them a sense of environmental ethics and responsibility to reduce the occurrence of environmental protection violations in the future.