NSWTR 2024 HR - Flipbook - Page 31
YEAR 3-4 SECTION
WE’RE ALL SCIENTISTS
Citizen science engages citizens in the data collection
process – counting species in their neighbourhoods or
logging weather patterns from their bedroom windows.
It’s often as easy as taking photos or uploading data so
scientists can keep track of the wildlife that is and isn’t
thriving in an area.
As well as assisting scientists, it’s a great way for younger
students to get real-world research experience before they
start high school. And with citizen science 昀椀ndings making
up half of Australia’s national biodiversity database, it’s
proving key to conservation research.
FrogID asks users to upload frog calls from their
smartphones and Aussie Bird Count gets participants to
tally up all the birds they can spot in 20 minutes. And then
there’s ReefCloud, where submitting photos of nearby coral
reefs can help researchers assess their condition.
Last year, 9.6 million of the 10 million reported
observations of species in Australia were collected via these
avenues, with amateur naturalists proving invaluable to
ongoing monitoring, too.
Keen to get students involved? The Australian Citizen
Science Association has a list of current projects calling out
for collaborators.
DOWNLOAD ALL OF THE LINKS IN THIS BOOKLET
AT WWW.SCIENCEWEEK.NET.AU/SCHOOLS/2024RESOURCE-BOOK-LINKS/
THE LIVING PLANET INDEX
When it comes to protecting native species,
sophisticated data is a major plus. One of
the biggest data-led resources is The Living
Planet Index (LPI).The LPI is perhaps the
world’s most widely quoted metric on global
biodiversity, measuring the state of native
species by publishing observations on population
trends – size, density, abundance and growth.
Released every two years, it tracks animal
populations, providing a comprehensive measure
of how they’re responding to pressures in their
environment.
The 2022 report analysed almost 32,000 species
populations, and reported a 69% decrease in
monitored wildlife since 1970. Habitat loss and
barriers to migration routes were shown to
account for half of the threats to these species
groups, with freshwater populations clearly hit
the hardest.
Observations like these prove pivotal when
combating species loss, as they have the power
to steer the direction of conservation e昀昀orts in
the future.
READ MORE
HOW MATHS IS USED IN CONSERVATION
(NATURE CONSERVANCY CANADA)
MATHS MODELS TO IMPROVE FISHERIES
AND OCEAN BIODIVERSITY
(UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND)
3. Everyone in the class started with the same
number of di昀昀erent species. Did everyone end up
with the same number of species at the end of the
game? Why do you think there was a di昀昀erence at
the end of the game for each team?
4. Make a line graph to show the change in the
number of birds in your ecosystem. On the x(horizontal) axis, record the number of cards you
used in the correct order, and on the y- (vertical)
axis place the number of birds. Remember the
starting number of birds was 昀椀ve.
Conser
v
2. What were some changes with other plants
and animals in your ecosystem? Which species
increased in number and which decreased in
number?
n Crisis
!
graph of their number at
the beginning of the game
compared with their
number at the end of the
game. On the x-axis, add the
di昀昀erent species, such as ‘possum’,
‘worms’ etc.
estions
1. You started the Species Diversity Game with 9
insects. What had happened to the number of
insects by the end of the game?
io
at
Qu
CONSERVATION CRISIS! QUESTIONS
On the y-axis, include the number of species.
6. What if we took two cards instead of one card each
time? What e昀昀ect might that have on the rate of
species change over time?
7. If you lost all of the plants in an ecosystem, what
e昀昀ect would that have on the animals that live in
that ecosystem?
8. Why do you think species diversity is important?
Think broadly, such as how it is important for
humans, for nature and for our gardens and parks,
for our farms and for our planet as a whole.
5. Choose four of your species that changed in
number during the game and make a column
SPECIES SURVIVAL – MORE THAN JUST SUSTAINABILITY
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