Senior Secondary Year 11 - 12 Geography and Multi-strand Science

Main Idea

The Great Barrier Reef Movie
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The study of physical systems is fundamental to all interactions within the natural environment, particularly on a local, regional or global scale. During the course of this unit students will gain an appreciation for, and understanding of, the processes that affect the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and the resulting changes that can occur. Students will be empowered to understand the need for sustainable management practices and take actions to ensure adherence to best environmental practices.

Resource management requires an understanding of the nature of an ecosystem or resource system and the patterns of human activities, values and decision-making processes. This unit will encourage students to assess the short-term and long-term implications for people and the environment. The unit will also provide students with opportunities to gain knowledge of and an appreciation for the complexities of natural resource management and empower them to propose alternatives and evaluate management decisions.

Key Understandings

• The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area consists of the world's largest system of coral reefs, together with lagoon, seagrass, mangrove and estuarine communities. Stretching over 2000km along Australia's north-east coastline, the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area covers more than 38 million hectares (equivalent to approximately 38 million football fields). It represents one of the most complex and biologically diverse systems on earth and contains critical habitats for a number of rare, threatened and endangered species.

• In 1981, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and adjacent coastal areas and islands were inscribed on the World Heritage List, on the basis of their outstanding natural features and ecological integrity.

  Reef Research Movie
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• The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area approach to management is perhaps best reflected in the development of the 25-year Strategic Plan for the Area. Coordinated by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the Strategic Plan was developed by more than 60 user and interest groups, indigenous peoples and government agencies. The Plan sets out a 25-year vision for the Area and details long-term and short-term objectives to achieve that vision. The vision, which focuses on a healthy environment, multiple use and maintenance of values, together with strategies outlined in the plan provides direction for the managing of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

• To minimise impacts on the World Heritage Area, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority works closely with adjoining management agencies to ensure the integrated development and implementation of management strategies to protect World Heritage values.

• The main tool used in managing the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area is zoning. Zoning provides protection for areas, which is critical for maintaining a healthy environment, and sets a broad framework for the management of human use by designating where specific types of activities may take place.

Focus Questions

What and where are the issues or patterns being studied?

• What and where is the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area?
• What is a resource?
• What is a multiple-use resource?
• What is the pattern and distribution of resources within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area?
• What are the elements of this World Heritage system?
• What patterns are associated with the Great Barrier Reef system?

How and why are they there?

• What processes are associated with patterns within the Great Barrier Reef system?
• What processes cause change within the Great Barrier Reef system?
• Why do some resource issues develop into conflict?

What are their impacts or consequences?

• What are some social, economic, political and physical impacts of change within the Great Barrier Reef system?
• What are the social, economic, political and physical impacts of current and possible future uses of the Great Barrier Reef?
• What consequences might arise as a result of these changes?

What is being done and could be done?

• What is being done and could be done by individuals, groups and governments regarding the sustainable management of Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area resources?

Key Terms

Alternatives, bag limits, Best Environmental Practices (BEPs), biodiversity, biological magnification, By-catch Reduction Device (BRD), commercial fishing, conflict, conflict issue, conflict resolution, conflict study, 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 Impact Assessment (EIA), Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), 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 and energy, stakeholder/user group, threatened, tourism, Turtle Exclusion Device (TED), Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), water cycle, World Heritage Area, zoning.

Key Learning Areas

• Studies of Society and Environment;
• English;
• Science; and
• Technology.

Key Competencies

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

Outcomes

This unit focuses on the following core learning outcomes from the Senior Geography and Multi-Strand Science Syllabuses.

Knowledge

• Ability to recall learned factual material in text and spatial forms.  For example facts, concepts, key ideas, theories and explanations.

Analytical processes

• Ability to break material into its component parts, thus identifying trends, similarities, differences and patterns;
• Understand the meaning of information by transforming, interpreting or extrapolating;
• Establishing the validity and reliability of information;
• Identifying relationships of differing complexity;
• Suggest causes for some of those relationships; and
• Identify anomalies in the information.

Decision-making processes

• Evaluating alternative proposals, strategies, solutions or plans;
• Applying appropriate criteria for evaluation;
• Making judgements/decisions about alternatives; and
• Justifying the decision with reasoned and logical arguments.

Research and communication skills

• Design a research plan relevant to the purpose;
• Gather and record information from a variety of sources and settings;
• Organise information prior to analysis and decision making;
• Reference and acknowledge sources;
• Use appropriate formats when presenting the results of learning experiences;
• Use clear, concise expression and language conventions relating to grammar, spelling and punctuation; and
• Integrate, where appropriate, the use of maps, diagrams, statistics and referencing adhering to set conventions.

Attached Documents

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Managing GBRMP - Teaching Unit
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