BACKGROUND In addition to playing a key role in the dynamics of ecosystems, animal diversity, especially that of wild vertebrates, is intimately linked with human evolutionary history, which has resulted in diverse interactions that must be emphasized in formal education processes. We analyzed several methods of approaches used for biological education in order to teach about wild vertebrates and their conservation in urban and rural schools in the semi-arid region of Brazil. METHODS Data were obtained via questionnaires applied to 990 students, of which 528 were urban and 462 rural, distributed among the seven grades/years that comprise the last two cycles of basic education in Brazil. The richness and diversity of the animals cited by the students were calculated, being the diversity using an adaptation of the equation for the Shannon-Weaver Index (H'). Data were analyzed using non-parametric descriptive statistics. RESULTS Mammals and birds had the greatest richness and diversity of animals cited as most-studied in science/biology classes, and also the most indicated as occurring in the studied region. Among mammals, large carnivores with a showy appearance and utilitarian value had the highest citation frequencies, while there was a tendency for limited recognition of faunistic diversity in the other groups mentioned. Almost 70% of the students stated that their schooling processes dealt with the conservation of wild animals; however, about 50% of the students in both urban and rural contexts did not express conceptual understanding about the conservation of nature. CONCLUSIONS The recognition of animal diversity, especially vertebrates, beyond just mammals and birds, as well as conceptual clarity about the conservation of nature, are fundamental factors for the development of critical awareness of fauna and its conservation, and where the processes of schooling have a preponderant role. Finally, the study contributes to the legitimization of Ethnobiology as an interdisciplinary field of knowledge, especially in its interface with education, in addition to pointing out the importance of optimizing efforts in approaches to biodiversity conservation in formal educational processes.

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正规教育背景下的动物和保护：对巴西半干旱地区城市和农村学生的研究。

背景技术除了在生态系统的动态中发挥关键作用外，动物的多样性，特别是野生脊椎动物的多样性，与人类的进化史有着密切的联系，这导致了多样化的相互作用，在正规教育过程中必须强调这一点。为了分析野生脊椎动物及其在巴西半干旱地区城乡学校中的保护，我们分析了几种生物教育方法。方法通过问卷调查获得的数据适用于990名学生，其中528名是城市学生和462名农村学生，分布在巴西基础教育的最后两个周期的七个年级/年中。计算出学生引用的动物的丰富性和多样性，使用Shannon-Weaver指数（H'）的等式进行调整得到的分集。使用非参数描述性统计分析数据。结果哺乳动物和鸟类具有最多的动物丰富度和多样性，被认为是科学/生物学类别中研究最多的动物，也是研究区域中发现最多的动物。在哺乳动物中，大型食肉动物具有艳丽的外观和实用价值，被引用的频率最高，而在提到的其他群体中，人们对动物多样性的认识有限。几乎70％的学生表示，他们的学习过程涉及野生动物的保护。但是，无论是在城市还是乡村，约有50％的学生没有表达对自然保护的概念性理解。结论除了对哺乳动物和鸟类的认识以外，对动物多样性，尤其是脊椎动物的认识，以及对自然保护的概念清晰性，是形成对动物及其保护的批判意识的基础因素，并且在学校的学习过程中优势作用。最后，该研究除了指出在正规教育过程中优化生物多样性保护方法的重要性外，还有助于将民族生物学作为跨学科的知识合法化，特别是在其与教育的接口方面。在教育过程中起主要作用的地方。最后，该研究除了指出在正规教育过程中优化生物多样性保护方法的重要性外，还有助于将民族生物学作为跨学科的知识合法化，特别是在与教育的接口方面。在教育过程中起主要作用的地方。最后，该研究除了指出在正规教育过程中优化生物多样性保护方法的重要性外，还有助于将民族生物学作为跨学科的知识合法化，特别是在与教育的接口方面。