Abstract:

Environmental education in the field of business studies not only spreads behaviors that help protect the environment but has a much more profound role. Business schools train the future decision makers who can, with their own attitudes and practical actions, influence the contribution of business to the processes of ecologically acceptable sustainable development and make informed and responsible decisions related to environment. In order for business leaders to undertake such decisions related to environment, they should have the necessary skills, training and knowledge of environmentally acceptable solutions. Although higher education institutions (HEI) in the field of business mostly do offer courses on environmental sustainability, environmental economics or environmental protection management, they mostly fail when it comes to the cost-effective way of addressing climate change while also addressing biodiversity and land degradation, know also as Nature-Based Solutions (NBS). In contrast with many engineered solutions, NBS have the potential to tackle both climate mitigation and adaptation challenges at relatively low-cost while delivering multiple additional benefits for people and nature. They cover a spectrum of interventions in the environmental field, from protecting or restoring diverse natural ecosystems to creating new managed or hybrid ‘grey-green’ approaches.

This paper offers the starting points for the development and the implementation of environmental education based on the concept of nature-based solutions. Nature-based solutions, as actions to protect, sustainably manage, or restore natural ecosystems, address societal challenges such as climate change, human health, food and water security, and disaster risk reduction effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits. Despite its importance for climate change adaptation and building resilience in landscapes and communities, formal recognition of NBS as a part of HEI course curriculums is currently still lacking.
To promote the use of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) in education and to contribute to changing behaviors towards climate mitigation, this paper aims to support development of innovative and holistic educational programs that use NBS as educational tools. Teachers have the responsibility to form informed and active students, who will work and build with nature, instead of in separation from it. However, to be able to do that, their educational approaches should be based on latest evidence and practice-based case studies. As a part of this research, best practices of using nature-based solutions in HEI institutions in the field of business in Croatia were analyzed in terms of applied methodology and intended outcomes. By analyzing best practices, this paper aims to support the development of ready-to-use learning scenarios that could be used by educators in business schools. The research conducted in Croatia highlights this theme, but also promotes the implementation of NBS in business education all over the world, giving a step forward in the implementation of Environmental Education, as a target of 2020 United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Keywords:

Nature based solutions, sustainability, education.