NSWTR 2024 HR - Flipbook - Page 7
on which many species rely. In our coastal areas,
we are already seeing storm surges and tides
eroding homes and land, while all of Australia is
experiencing the e昀昀ect of more extreme weather.
Flying foxes, 昀椀sh, bogong moths, marine turtles,
possums and koalas are just a few examples of
species that climate change is harming right now.
Ultimately, the impact on humans will be just
as devastating. Between 2030 and 2050, climate
change is expected to cause about 250,000
additional deaths a year, through undernutrition,
malaria and other problems.
“Partnerships for the Goals” (Goal 17) ensures
conservation e昀昀orts are well funded and that
valuable local and Indigenous knowledge is
incorporated into our preservation strategies. In
this guide, you’ll 昀椀nd activities, information and
resources to help integrate these goals into your
community and school.
EVERYONE’S JOB
The job of protecting Earth’s biodiversity – and
ultimately ensuring our own wellbeing and
survival – intersects with almost every 昀椀eld of
knowledge and expertise. In the world of science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
alone, each 昀椀eld has its unique role.
Science helps us understand ecosystems and
unravel the genetic code of di昀昀erent species.
Technology creates tools for conservation;
for example, drones and arti昀椀cial intelligence
(AI) used to map habitats and count animal
populations. Engineering design solutions, like
wildlife corridors and living shorelines, address
habitat destruction. Mathematics and data science
help us predict and measure changes in species
population numbers.
Beyond STEM, society and culture are deeply
connected to species survival. Indigenous
communities, for example, have coexisted with
their environments for millennia, using cultural
practices that sustain rather than exploit.
Meanwhile, contemporary society shapes our
values around consumption and conservation,
like our evolving stance on the use of plastic
and palm oil.
This Resource Book of Ideas for National
Science Week gives communities, teachers and
students Australian Curriculum-linked activities
and resources to help explore these connections
between species survival and our everyday lives.
It delves into key topics, including food, data,
culture, technology, biology and other advances
in science. Find out how you can use our “Species
Survival, Sustainability + X” formula – where X
is the student’s other interest or goal – to
highlight these connections (see ‘STEM + X and
species survival’ p8). Each ‘X’ area is linked
tightly to the syllabus topics for each stage: Stage
1: Food, Stage 2: Data, Stage 3: Culture, Stage 4:
Technology and Society, Stage 5: Biology.
FAST FACTS
28% of all assessed species – plants and
animals – are threatened with extinction.
(Source)
Only 39% of Australia’s unique plants have
been assessed for extinction risk. (Source)
Australia, Brazil and China are the
3 countries with the highest number of
endemic plant species (meaning they grow
nowhere else). (Source)
10% of Australia’s endemic land mammals
have been lost to extinction in the last 200
years. (Source)
169.9 million hectares: the area covered
by Australia’s National Reserve System
(22.1% of our total landmass), protecting
our natural landscapes and native plants and
animals for future generations. (Source)
SPECIES SURVIVAL — MORE THAN JUST SUSTAINABILITY
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