NSWTR 2024 HR - Flipbook - Page 9
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
BACKYARD
BIODIVERSITY
COUNT
WHAT TO DO
Get into groups of two or
three and put on your hats
and sunscreen.
1
In a set amount of time
(for example, 10 minutes)
head outside and 昀椀nd as
many di昀昀erent species as
you can.
2
m
un it y Acti
m
Co
SPECIES SURVIVAL – MORE THAN JUST SUSTAINABILITY
s
TS TO WE AR
SA FET Y FIR ST – TEL L ST UD EN HE AD ING
HA TS AN D SU NS CR EEN BE FO RE Y HU NT .
OU TD OO RS ON TH E BIO DIV ER SIT
UC H AN Y
RE MI ND ST UD EN TS NO T TO TO CH ER
AN IM AL S AN D TO FO LLO W TEA.
INS TR UC TIO NS AT AL L TIM ES
tie
G
vi
oing on a
biodiversity count
is a great way to
get to know more
about your local area,
and the data that you
generate is invaluable
to researchers! There are
many tools and projects you
can use, from the Atlas of Living Australia to
the iNaturalist or Frog ID app or the Aussie
Bird Count.
You can also think about the scale of
biodiversity. What might you 昀椀nd in a couple
of shovels full of soil, or a jar or two from
a local water system? Use the table on the
next page to record your data.
Before you go, make
a guess at how many
di昀昀erent species you think
you might 昀椀nd.
3
When you are given the
go-ahead, head outside
and try to 昀椀nd as many
species, or evidence of
species from as many
di昀昀erent groups as possible
(for example, birds, insects,
spiders, plants, fungi).
4
5
6
When you 昀椀nd something,
take a photo of it.
7
8
When time is up, go back
inside.
Remember, DO NOT
TOUCH any insect or
spider – your job is to take a
photo of it, not catch it.
In your group, go over all
your photos and calculate:
A) total number of plant
specimens and number of
di昀昀erent species (types) of
plant you found. Record this
information in Column 1 in
Data Table 1.
B) total number of insect
specimens and number of
di昀昀erent species (types) of
insects you found. Record
this information in Column 2
in Data Table 1.
C) total number of animal
specimens and number of
di昀昀erent species (types)
of animals you found (or
evidence of animals, such as
feathers, poo or fur). Record
this information in Column 3
in Data Table 1.
D) total number of other
specimens not mentioned
in columns 1, 2 or 3 and
number of di昀昀erent species
(types) you found. Record
this information in Column 4
in Data Table 1.
Calculate the grand total of
the number of specimens
found by adding across
columns 1 to 4 in Data Table
1. Add this total to the 昀椀rst
row of Data Table 2.
9
Calculate the grand
total of di昀昀erent species
(types) by adding across
columns 1 to 4 in Data Table
2. Add this total to the
second row of Data Table 2.
10
11
Answer the discussion
questions.
9
