Years 8-10 SOSE, Science and Multi-strand Science

Main Idea

In this unit, students will initiate investigations into human-induced threats to the Great Barrier Reef and study ways in which individuals, communities, industry and Government can protect, manage and conserve the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

Groups of students determine their own area of inquiry based on issues and interests.

Key Understandings

The Great Barrier Reef is a national and global asset because of the diversity of its life forms and the uniqueness of its marine environment. It is one of the world's largest and most complex ecosystems. It is also subjected to a wide range of sometimes conflicting uses, services, facilities and amenities to meet the needs and wants of the fishing and tourism industries and the broader Australian public. The Great Barrier Reef is under pressure. Everything we do on the reef, along its shore and even on the land affects this diverse and fragile ecosystem.

Focus Questions

• Where is the Great Barrier Reef and what threats does it face?
• What are possible, probable and preferable futures for the Great Barrier Reef?
• How and why is the Great Barrier Reef under pressure?
• What areas or sites need support and action?
• What can we do and why is it important to get involved?

Key Terms

alternatives, Bag limits, Best Environmental Practices (BEP's), biodiversity, By-catch Reduction, Devise (BRD), commercial fishing, conflict issue, conflict resolution, conservation, continental islands, coral atoll, coral cay, coral reef, cost-benefit analysis, cultural values, day to day management (DDM), ecologically sustainable development (ESD), economic values, ecosystem, endangered, enforcement, environmental values, estuarine, ethics, eutrophication, evaluation criteria, fringing reef, global warming, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA), Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA), greenhouse effect, impacts, implementation, indigenous peoples, integrated management, interest group, introduced species, lagoon, legislation, management plans, mangrove, multiple-use resource, natural hazards, nutrients, permits, platform reef, political values, Queensland Fisheries, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS), rare, recreational fishing, resource, restrictions, ribbon reef, rural run-off, urban run-off, seagrass, shipping, stakeholder / user group, threatened, tourism, Turtle Exclusion Device (TED), Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS), zoning.

Key Learning Areas

• SOSE
• English
• Science

Key Competencies

• Collecting, analysing and organising information
• Communicating ideas and information
• Solving problems
• Using technology
• Working with others and in teams.

Outcomes

On completion of this unit, teachers should be able to make judgements about each student's level of achievement with regard to the following criteria:

From Place and Space:

4.1 Students make justifiable links between ecological and economic factors and the production and consumption of a familiar resource.

4.2 Students predict the impact of changes on environments by comparing evidence.

4.3 Students participate in a field study to recommend the most effective ways to care for a place.

4.8 Students develop an action plan to contribute to a positive outcome for an issue of personal concern.

5.2 Students design strategies for evaluating environmental impacts, highlighting relationships within and between natural systems.

5.3 Students participate in geographical inquiries to evaluate impacts on ecosystems in different geographical locations.

5.4 Students use maps, diagrams and statistics placing value on environments in Australia and the Asia-pacific region.

5.6 Students apply ideas concerning sustainability to suggest how natural, social and built environments should interact in a preferred future

6.1 Students use criteria and geographical skills to develop conclusions about the management of a place.

6.2 Students create proposals to resolve environmental issues in the Asia Pacific region.

6.3 Students initiate and undertake an environmental action research project based on fieldwork.

6.4 Students use maps, tables and statistical data to express predictions about the impact of change on environments.

6.5 Students make clear links between their values sustainability and their preferred vision of a place.

Attached Documents

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Reef at Risk - Teaching Unit
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