Education in Harz National Park – From Nature Experience to Education for Sustainable Development Der Nationalpark Harz als Bildungsort – Vom Naturerleben zur Bildung für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung

Pedagogic interventions in national parks usually aim at fostering the appreciation of wilderness and at providing opportunities for nature experiences. In order to analyse the adequacy of these priorities for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), we investigate educational interventions offered by Harz National Park in Northern Germany. We argue that nature experiences foster competences needed for sustainable development. In particular, they provide an opportunity to develop, recognize and/or reflect upon norms and values. However, only when combined with factual knowledge and techniques to cope with the ethical and factual complexities and uncertainties of real-world decision-making, the full potential of the nature experience is realised. We develop respective recommendations for the educational practice in national parks. The suggestions account for synergies with curricular education and ESD programs offered by other, extra-curricular providers of educational services.