SOCIAL REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT AMPHIBIANS IN NATURAL GRASSLANDS OF ARGENTINA THEIR IMPORTANCE FOR CONSERVATION

Amphibians are declining worldwide Although the reasons for this phenomenon are still a matter of discussion evidences point to most of them being directly or indirectly related to human activities Many of the threats affecting amphibians could be prevented or corrected by promoting changes in peoples behavior In order to do this it is necessary to assess the public perceptions about these animals In this paper some knowledge components and perceptions of primary school teachers of the Southern Pampas Mountains Buenos Aires province Argentina about anurans amphibians (toads and frogs) are analyzed Questionnaires were designed including seven problematic situations It was found that teachers have a superficial and incomplete knowledge about local anurans Their valuation of these animals is negative in terms of their appearance but positive regarding their usefulness mainly for controlling nuisance insects On the other hand teachers showed a high consideration and commitment for global and local environmental issues and this can be taken as an advantage for the design of any strategy in environmental education Basic guidelines are proposed for a communication strategy aimed to widen public knowledge on native fauna and to promote people's affinities to the anuran amphibians in particular