Abstract:
The chaos caused around the world as a result of a lapse in biosecurity led to the outbreak of SARS-COV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) which causes severe respiratory disease (Covid-19) leading to death in some people who contract the virus. The many measures taken to contain the virus, such as the closing of international borders and the restriction of movement of people through lockdown, have led to social unrest. The actions taken to halt the spread of Covid-19 reflect an increasing sense of alarm and insecurity which may continue throughout the 21st century if measures are not put in place to enlighten the public about the importance of maintaining biosecurity.
One way to counter the panic and insecurity could be through finding out the perceptions of biosecurity among citizens and then using the evidence to make education recommendations about biosecurity. The aim of this research was to unearth perceptions of biosecurity of people in different communities with the goal of investigating the potential of biosecurity education in New Zealand schools. This study used qualitative data collected over 2 years from three different studies to understand the need for biosecurity education.
Semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews and classroom observations were used to gain an insight into perceptions of biosecurity from groups of people from three different communities. Data from the community affected by the 2015 biosecurity fruit fly outbreak in Grey Lynn, Auckland, regarded by the government as an existential threat to New Zealand’s economy and biodiversity, comprised the first study. In the second study, data were derived from school teachers who taught in schools in the Grey Lynn area affected by the regulations put in place by the government as a result of the fruit fly outbreak. And data for the third study were gathered from a secondary school social science teacher and his class of Year 13 students. The Year 13 teacher used biosecurity content for teaching and learning social sciences in his classroom.
Previously unknown aspects of how people perceive biosecurity during a biosecurity crisis were unearthed. Findings suggested that people who were affected by the regulations put in place as a result of the biosecurity outbreak did not understand the eradication process but followed instructions because it was the right thing to do. Study 2 findings revealed that teachers did not fully understand biosecurity nevertheless supported its inclusion in schools for teaching and learning. Findings from Study 3 showed that biosecurity was an informative and interesting topic that engaged students in the classroom. Further, findings also revealed that learning about biosecurity engendered strong feelings of nationalism.
As this study has demonstrated, people hold superficial knowledge of biosecurity, and it is therefore a challenge for biosecurity policy makers and government agencies to advocate for the inclusion of biosecurity in the curriculum (“Nathan Guy: Biosecurity,” 2016). This is a challenge because, without biosecurity knowledge amongst the general public, the forward-focussed Biosecurity 2025 plan that calls for everybody living in New Zealand to play a part in securing biosecurity may not come to fruition. In addition, calls for biosecurity to be included in the curriculum may also not come to fruition as teachers appear to have very limited pedagogical content knowledge to effectively teach with biosecurity content.