Social Representations of the students of the Higher Technical Degree in Environmental Management on the native forests of the SW of the province of Chaco, Argentina

Abstract

The knowledge of the Social Representations of the Native Forests by the students of the Higher Technical Degree in Agro-industrial Management, which is taught in Las Breñas, Chaco, is the basis for understanding the applied or accepted practices in the area regarding native forests, their permanence, use, or elimination. These students have a special role in education and the ventures that are launched in the productive sector of the SW of the Province of Chaco, given the graduate profile and local demands. The research carried out has the purpose of identifying the social representations of these students about Native forests and providing information that can be used to strengthen educational methodologies aimed at environmental conservation in the area. Among the results obtained, it is observed that imprecise social representations predominate, for which it would be pertinent to incorporate strategies in the training process that allow students to become familiar with local plant species, their environmental benefits, and their uses, allowing young people to develop a sense of belonging and recognize their value.