Outdoor education for young students to a pecan tree collection to raise awareness about pecan tree varieties and agrobiodiversity

Pecan tree [Carya illinoensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch] is the most important nut tree of North America. In Portugal, a pecan tree collection was planted for agronomic research in the 1980-90s with the purpose of evaluating these nut trees’ adaptability to several distinct Portuguese local geophysical and climatic conditions.

Nowadays, this collection is a biological resource of interest not only in terms of agrobiodiversity, but also for educational purposes through outdoor visits. These are organized for students and the public, with the aim of raising awareness about Pecan tree varieties and biodiversity.

Outdoor visits with young students address three current relevant phenomena – extinction of experience, nature disconnection and plant awareness disparity (i.e. – the idea that students tend not to notice or appreciate the plants in their environment).

Outdoor visits have helped students and the wider public to learn about pecan tree biodiversity. The collection is managed by INIAV, I.P. and Oeiras Municipality.

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