EXPLORING BIODIVERSITY: A Guide for Educators Around the World

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q Students must collect at least one stone and one leaf to survive, but they can collect more if they like. Students can pick up only one stone or leaf at a time from any island. So if a student picks up a stone or leaf on the island he or she starts from, the student must run to at least one other island for another stone or leaf. Students can return to their first island for additional stones and leaves if they need to. Shout “Immigrate!” to start the game again. This time give students as much time as they need to move between the islands. Stop the game when every student either has been tagged or has collected at least one stone and leaf. After they finish the round, count the number of students who survived and record it. 6. Discuss the results. Have the students gather together to figure out the percent of species that survived. Most likely, a large percent became extinct. Ask students why they think so many species didn’t make it. Were the taggers faster than they were? Did they have to go to several islands, leaving themselves open to taggers? Were they forced out of a small island that was too crowded? Ask them if real species face similar threats? What are they? (Species that have to travel to several habitat areas to get resources face many threats, such as lack of food and shelter and nowhere to hide from predators and human hunters.) Ask the students who survived why they think they were never tagged. Ask the students if real species can survive in the same way that they did. (Some species can avoid many threats that other species face. For example, birds can fly to escape predators; they can also search for food over large areas. Some species need only a very small amount of space to get what they need, so they might not ever need to leave their habitat island, or they might not have to look far outside their habitat. Still others might not be affected by the main threats in an area. If, for example, there was a predator killing many small animals in an area, a larger species might be too big to be eaten by that predator.) A A A A Protected Design Choices B B B B A is the better choice because a large reserve can protect more species than a small one. B is the better choice because one continuous habitat is better than several broken-up habitats. B is the better choice because reserves that are connected, or that allow species, to move among them are better than reserves that are not. B is the better choice because reserves that are close together are better than reserves that are spread far apart. A B A is the better choice because it will have more habitat that is not experiencing the edge effect than B has. 54
7. Discuss protected area design: Making a good plan. Go inside to discuss the activity. Ask the students to think about how we can help wildlife in fragmented areas. One way to make sure that there’s enough habitat for species is to set aside land in protected areas. Ask the students if they can think of any potential problems with protected areas. (If they have trouble thinking about problems, lead them back to the concepts they learned in the game. Many protected areas are like habitat islands—they are surrounded by human communities and can become isolated. Some protected areas might be too small to support many species. Wildlife moving between protected areas can face many threats. Your students may come up with other problems not related to the concepts of the game, but be sure that the ones listed here are covered.) Refer to the diagram “Protected Area Design Choices”. Each diagram represents a possible protected area design, but in each set one is a better choice than the other. Ask the students which design in each pair they think is best, based on what they learned in the game. Ask them to explain their choices, and then give them the answer and explanation provided. If the students can justify their answer with an explanation that demonstrates that they understand the material, they’re right. Let them know that there are many ways of looking at the problem. 8. Talk about how people can help species in developed areas. Most animals probably don’t live their whole lives in protected areas. Even if they use the protected areas most of the time, chances are they’ll need to leave them to find food, mates, or other things at some point. Do your students think wildlife has a good chance of surviving outside protected areas? Are there things we can do to increase the animals’ chances and help preserve biodiversity? Many people are working to create conservation corridors that link protected areas by involving all of the people who live and work in the area between and around legal parks and reserves. In a corridor, everyone plays a role. Private landowners and communities collaborate to maintain or create safe habitat for species, while still earning a living through sustainable use of the land. 55
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EXPLORING BIODIVERSITY: A Guide for
Page 3 and 4:
Exploring Biodiversity is a joint p
Page 5 and 6:
TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION .
Page 7 and 8: Exploring Biodiversity is packed wi
Page 9 and 10: of selecting activities to do with
Page 11 and 12: p SECTION 1 WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY? 1
Page 13 and 14: p Where Is the Diversity? Some area
Page 15 and 16: Malaria once infected nine out of t
Page 17 and 18: p WHAT TO DO 1. As a group, create
Page 19 and 20: ACTIVITY 2: THE WEB OF LIFE BACKGRO
Page 21 and 22: Encourage students to think creativ
Page 23 and 24: ACTIVITY 3: BIOBLITZ OBJECTIVES: Na
Page 25 and 26: 6. Set the stage. Ask your students
Page 27 and 28: SECTION 2 BIODIVERSITY CONNECTIONS
Page 29 and 30: Intensive agricultural production o
Page 31 and 32: The Nature Connection The desire of
Page 33 and 34: 3. Put up the statements and read e
Page 35 and 36: • Will photographs and films that
Page 37 and 38: ACTIVITY 5: BIODIVERSITY PERFORMS O
Page 39 and 40: Plants convert the sun’s energy i
Page 41 and 42: q SECTION 3 THE STATE OF BIODIVERSI
Page 43 and 44: q important differences, however, b
Page 45 and 46: chemical fertilisers to remain prod
Page 47 and 48: Ironically, this “greenhouse effe
Page 49 and 50: Aliens Are Among Us! Another contri
Page 51 and 52: q WHAT TO DO 1. Explain what “thr
Page 53 and 54: q teristics that might make species
Page 55 and 56: q clothing) to mark the boundaries.
Page 57: q Ask the students why animals need
Page 61 and 62: SECTION 4 BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
Page 63 and 64: a creating conservation corridors,
Page 65 and 66: a often boosts local economies by c
Page 67 and 68: ACTIVITY 8: THINKING ABOUT TOMORROW
Page 69 and 70: a WHAT TO DO 1. Create student grou
Page 71 and 72: a next round, but this time introdu
Page 73 and 74: ACTIVITY 9: COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS O
Page 75 and 76: a Tips for Interviewing • Careful
Page 77 and 78: a WHAT TO DO 1. Explore project top
Page 79 and 80: a decision-making process as possib
Page 81 and 82: SECTION 5 APPENDICES Appendix A: Ex
Page 83 and 84: organic garden or compost pile; imp
Page 85 and 86: extinct: refers to a species that n
Page 87 and 88: pollination: the process by which p
Page 89: For more information about the Expl
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EXPLORING BIODIVERSITY: A Guide for Educators Around the World

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