Global warming and biodiversity-Activities

	Published by Australian Academy of Science
Activities \| Impact of global warming on biodiversity

Bureau of Meteorology (Australia)
- Climate change – students investigate some of the natural processes and human activities which cause climate change. A student worksheet is available.
Australian Government Australian Government Department of the Environment and Water Resources
- Conserving Australia's biological diversity – this activity examines Australia's biological diversity, the benefits of conservation, threats to biological diversity, planning and management and what individuals can do to preserve biodiversity.
LandLearn (Victorian Department of Primary Industries, Australia)
- Measuring biodiversity – students discover that habitats with the same total number of species can have different amounts of biodiversity.
- Biodiversity: Our food supply depends on it – students discuss biodiversity and how it can be enhanced by farming practices.
- Cultivating variety – students looks at farming practices, assess the benefits of the activities and how they may enhance biodiversity.
Science upd8 (UK)
Science NetLinks (American Association for the Advancement of Science)
- Ecosystem services – water purification – uses the example of natural water purification to show students that healthy ecosystems provide services that are essential to life as we know it.
Genetic Science Learning Center (University of Utah, USA)
- Conservation genetics – students learn about conservation genetics and how it is used to manage populations.
Xpeditions (National Geographic, USA)
- Can captive breeding save species? – this lesson asks students to research and assess captive-breeding programs and species-survival plans by zoos.
Daily Lesson Plan (The New York Times, USA)
- Tending to the greenhouse – students investigate global warming and early signs of spring. Based on observations from the northern hemisphere, but also relevant to Australia.
Education World (USA)
- Our threatened biodiversity – students use environmental census data to answer questions about the state of the world's threatened species.
- Tracking the wild ones – students use statistics to learn about endangered species.
The Field Museum (USA)
- The spice of life – students explore beliefs and values about the importance of biodiversity.

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Page updated November 2006.

The Australian Foundation for Science is a supporter of Nova.

This topic is sponsored by the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Water Resources.