Environmental sustainability is one of the core dimensions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other international frameworks. About half of the Sustainable Development Goals are related to the environment or address the sustainability of natural resources. The Paris Agreement recognizes the need to promote environmental integrity as a means to addressing climate change. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction aims to protect environmental assets by managing disaster risks. ASEAN itself has the ASEAN Strategic Plan on Environment (ASPEN), the Roadmap for ASEAN Community 2015 that stipulates a clean and green environment, and the ASEAN Environmental Education Action Plan (AEEAP).
The AUN’s Thematic Network on Ecological Education and Culture (AUN-EEC) was created to complement these policies and programs. Ecological education is an extended form of environmental education, which aims to develop a citizenry that can make wise choices regarding the impact of anthropological activities. This involves “examining and altering fundamental cultural beliefs and practices that are contributing to the degradation of the planet’s natural systems… [and] “connotes an emphasis on the inescapable embeddedness of human beings in natural settings and the responsibilities that arise from this relationship” (Smith and Williams, 1999). Ecological culture refers to the way human beings conduct themselves in the natural environment as a result of “knowledge, norms, stereotypes,” and recognizes the tension between the needs of society and the need for nature to preserve its systems and stability (Ridei et al., 2013).
Vision
By tapping into ASEAN’s established network of universities, AUN-EEC envisions itself to help develop a generation of Southeast Asians who will have the mindset and competencies to conserve and preserve the environment, even as they face the challenges of social change and economic growth, with the region’s mineral deposits, biodiversity, and mixed cultures.
Key Objectives
We hope that this thematic network can serve as a platform:
- To serve as a platform to help higher education institutions (HEIs) incorporate formal and informal ecological education in the ASEAN
- To develop cooperation among HEIs and serve as catalysts toward actions that promote a culture of sustainability among ASEAN stakeholders
- To contribute to the solution of ASEAN social and environmental problems
Invitation to Help Our Network
Thus, the AUN-EEC invites you to contribute or share your thoughts on how we could
- Translate our awareness and love of nature to environmentally responsible behavior
- Raise awareness on critical issues
- Develop curricula/modules/materials that can be used in ecological education
- Develop skill sets to find sustainable development solutions in our context and setting
- Undertake initiatives that encourage our communities to support a sustainable lifestyle
To contribute, kindly contact the AUN-EEC Secretariat aun.eec@ateneo.edu.
Brunei Darussalam
Universiti Brunei Darussalam
Cambodia
Royal University of Phnom Penh
Indonesia
Institut Teknologi Bandung - School of Life Sciences and Technology
Universitas Airlangga
Universitas Gadjah Mada
Universitas Indonesia
Malaysia
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
Universiti Malaya
Myanmar
University of Mandalay
University of Yangon
Yangon University of Economics
Philippines
Ateneo de Manila University
De La Salle University
Department of Environment and Natural Resources - National Capital Region
Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University
Tarlac Agricultural University - College of Agriculture and Forestry
(University of the Philippines System)
University of the Philippines Diliman
University of the Philippines Los Baños
University of the Philippines Manila
University of the Philippines Open University
University of the Philippines Visayas
Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan
XenConservation
Singapore
National University of Singapore
Thailand
Burapha University
Chulalongkorn University
Mahidol University
Vietnam
Can Tho University
Van Lang University
Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City
VNU University of Science

Dr Emmanuel Delocado (AUN-EEC Executive Director)

Ms Jean Jardaleza Mijares
