Children's representations of the biological richness of the mata atlantica biome

this paper aims to examine the representations of brazilian children from joinville region of biodiversity in the mata atlantica. we interviewed 112 girls and 90 boys from a school in the city of joinville, in the brazilian state of santa catarina. these 6 to 14 year old students from grade 1 to 8 were requested to estimate the abundance of plants, animals and microorganisms in the region, and to name the species they know. our results show that children are aware of the high level of biodiversity in their region, but they had difficulty in naming native species.