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This project has worked on the collection and analysis of information on the curricular offer in the field of adaptation to climate change in the Spanish formal education system. With this analysis and with the implementation of practical experiences, the aim has been to identify the existing needs in the Training sector, covering a topic considered a priority in the Third Work Plan of the National Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change. In addition, the project covers a novel aspect that is hardly being worked on in the sector, which is adaptation to climate change through nature-based solutions.

The initiative has promoted climate action in a sector with great potential as an agent of change, according to SEO/BirdLife, since getting the educational community to think about how nature can help face a problem such as climate change has enormous potential for the identification, application and evaluation of innovative solutions. as well as for the dissemination of the message.

The general objective of the project has been to incorporate the educational community as an active agent in the fight against climate change and to promote and support climate action at the local level through schools.

The specific objectives were as follows:

• To know the curricular offer in the field of adaptation to climate change in Spain.
• Promote climate action in schools and collaboration in this area with local administrations (such as those responsible for the maintenance of primary school buildings).
• To assess the weaknesses, threats, strengths and opportunities that exist in Spain for the educational community to participate in climate change policies.
• Provide tools and resources on climate change adaptation and mitigation to schools and local governments.

• Qualitative compilation and analysis of information on climate action in the education sector in Spain, focusing the analysis on the most related core subjects (especially Natural Sciences and Social Sciences), and analysing those contents related to adaptation to climate change.
• Call for and holding of a competition for the proposal of climate change adaptation plans in primary schools with the aim of promoting direct action in schools. In total, 33 projects were presented from schools located in 12 provinces and 10 different autonomous communities.
• Implementation of climate change adaptation plans in the three winning schools of the competition. Among the actions carried out, the replacement of part of the concrete floor of a sports court at the CEIP Mar Mediterráneo (Almeria) stands out, which has made it possible to create new spaces full of vegetation; the installation of tanks for the collection of rainwater and the creation of a pond in the CEIP Cervantes de Molina de Segura (Murcia); and the provision of new experiential and learning spaces with vegetation and natural elements in the CEIP Virgen de Sacedón de Pedrajas de San Esteban (Valladolid). In general, in addition, schools have been filled with trees and plants, which will serve to cushion the effects of rising temperatures and shade new spaces. Likewise, the three plans have incorporated measures to promote biodiversity, such as the installation of nest boxes, insect hotels, bat shelters, feeders and even stickers to prevent birds from colliding with windows. Another of the fundamental issues has been the incorporation of the actions of the plans into the educational curricula of the schools. The three schools have developed a multitude of activities with students and have prepared a curricular adaptation document on content related to climate change, which has been incorporated as additional documentation to the guide to serve as a model for other schools that want to incorporate content of this type. Finally, SEO/BirdLife has coordinated and organized educational activities in the three centers, which have been aimed at knowledge and awareness about nature and have included introductory workshops to birds through games and dynamics and adapted to each educational level.
• Preparation of a guide for the preparation of plans to combat climate change in schools. The guide is structured in seven chapters that provide information on climate change (why and how a school can act to adapt to climate change, in which places and aspects to have an impact…) and details the steps to design and implement a climate change adaptation plan. In all these chapters, the methodologies and lessons learned by the schools are presented.
• Dissemination of the actions and results of the project: sending notes and press releases announcing the contest, publications on SEO/BirdLife social networks, uploading all the project material to the website, sending mailing to more than 18,300 educational centers, presentation of the project at CONAMA 2020, etc.

SEO/BirdLife has developed the “Natural Schools for Change” project with the aim of demonstrating the power of teachers, schoolchildren and the educational community in general as active agents of the changes that society requires to mitigate the impact and adapt to the effects of climate change.

As a starting point, the curricular offer in the field of climate change adaptation in the Spanish formal education system was compiled and analyzed, a priority identified in the Third Work Plan of the National Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change (PNACC). Thus, the decrees of each community and/or autonomous city were reviewed in which the contents of the school curriculum for Primary Education of the core subjects most related to the concept (Natural Sciences and Social Sciences) are defined. The results of the analysis were reflected in the report “Review of Contents on climate change in the school curriculum”, and reveal the scarce presence of climate change at the curricular level in primary education and the great differences that exist in the curriculum of the different autonomous communities.

To promote direct action in schools, a competition was held for public primary schools that wanted to take on the challenge of adapting their schools to climate change, with the requirements to do so through Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), take biodiversity into account and incorporate the actions into the school curriculum. 33 projects from centers from different parts of Spain were presented, with the winners being the schools of the CEIP Virgen de Sacedón de Pedrajas de San Esteban (Valladolid), the CEIP Mar Mediterráneo de Almería and the CEIP Cervantes de Molina de Segura (Murcia), which received funding and technical advice for the execution of their plans for adaptation to climate change.

SEO/BirdLife accompanied these schools throughout the process, which included actions to create new green spaces, install tanks for rainwater collection and measures to promote biodiversity (such as the installation of nest boxes, insect hotels, bat shelters, feeders and stickers to prevent birds from colliding with windows). among other measures. In addition, the entity has coordinated and organized educational and awareness activities about nature with the students of the three centers, which included introductory workshops to birds through games and dynamics and adapted to each educational level.

With the knowledge acquired, a Guide for the preparation of climate change adaptation plans in schools has been developed, which, according to the entity, aims to provide useful information to develop this type of process, focused especially on NBS. This guide sets out examples of adaptation to the different effects that climate change can have on an educational centre and on which it is possible to act in this area.