Engaging people in educational processes that foster environmentally valuable outcomes: a synthesis of key findings across eight systematic reviews

Alongside the rise of the evidence-based conservation movement over the past 20 years, environmental education (EE) has emerged as a worthwhile strategy to achieve conservation goals. EE can help develop the societal attitudes, knowledge, skills, behaviours and norms that address conservation and environmental challenges and build deeper connections between nature and people. To better understand the effectiveness of EE in achieving such outcomes, we conducted a series of systematic reviews of evidence-based scholarship. In this article, we synthesise key findings derived from an analysis of 546 international peer-reviewed studies for distinct audiences (e.g. early childhood, K-12 provision) and contemporary priority areas in the field, namely climate change, conservation, civic engagement, positive youth development and community/citizen science. Our synthesis reveals six recurring themes that contribute to effective EE: employing diverse teaching and learning approaches; fostering participatory methods; including direct action components; focusing on local community settings; connecting to personally relevant information; and collaborating with experts and stakeholders. While no universal model emerged, programmes can help strengthen people–nature connections by integrating these educational elements into evidence-based conservation. EE programmes should prioritize authentic, community-grounded experiences that engage participants as active agents rather than passive recipients. To achieve desired conservation and broader environmental goals, EE initiatives require sustained investment, cross-sector partnerships and evaluation frameworks that capture long-term behavioural and environmental outcomes. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.