Criteria for successful strategies towards non formal learning

Non-formal learning in support of biodiversity has two sets of components: content and competencies to enable people to understand, be motivated and committed to helping solve challenges that affect biodiversity. The main content is: interdependence of life on earth, ecosystem functions and services, human impacts on ecosystems. The main competencies are: systems thinking, problem solving skills, communication skills. When Parties to CBD want to implement strategies to mainstream biodiversity into learning in non-formal contexts they should be aware of a few pre-conditions or criteria for success. The CBD-UNESCO workshop identified the following. Parties should:
• Understand the needs of other sectors, then translate biodiversity main messages into simple language that responds to their problems and meets their needs
• Use professional experts to develop that translation
• Develop a “working group” structure of nonformal providers to provide guidance and implementation assistance
• Use participatory planning with nonformal providers to design learning programs and train them to do the same
• Encourage nonformal providers to design programs that enable people to choose effective learning strategies
• Encourage nonformal providers to design programs that build skills and create solutions to sustainable development challenges.
The German campaign for CBD COP 9 is a good example of mainstreaming biodiversity into non-formal learning contexts.