ECODIFT
The project Eco-Cultural Dimensions of Insect and Fungal Diversity for Teachers (ECODIFT) aims to strengthen environmental and cultural education through interdisciplinary collaboration between the University of South Bohemia (USB, Czech Republic) and Valahia University of Targoviste (VUT, Romania). The project focuses on insect and fungal diversity as a component of eco-cultural heritage, emphasizing their ecological importance as well as their roles in traditional knowledge, folklore, food culture, agriculture, forest management, and local cultural identities.
News
The workshop aimed at education of insect diversity will be on Tuesday 17th November- Thursday 19th November at Faculty of Education, USB
Project description
The project engages a joint international team composed of four university teachers and fourteen students. Through two international educational workshops hosted at USB (November 2026) and VUT (April 2027), participants will explore innovative approaches to biodiversity education combining scientific inquiry, experiential learning, storytelling, and place-based pedagogy. The Czech team will present educational approaches focused on insect diversity, while the Romanian team will demonstrate methods for integrating mushrooms and mycological topics into school education. Activities will include field observations, insect and mushrooms identification, collaborative discussions, and the development of educational materials integrating ecological and cultural perspectives.
The project also aims to strengthen pedagogical competencies among teacher candidates and educators by supporting the creation of interdisciplinary teaching resources suitable for formal and non-formal educational settings. The final outputs will include bilingual (Czech-Romanian) teaching materials and a framework for long-term institutional cooperation between the participating universities.
By connecting biodiversity education with eco-cultural heritage, ECODIFT contributes to environmental literacy, sustainability awareness, and intercultural dialogue within the KreativEU Alliance.
