Integrative Ecology Education
Climate Change and Habitat Destruction
Glossary terms- Migration, Habitat, Climate change, Greenhouse gases, Arctic Amplification, Adaptation, Physical Adaptation, Behavioural Adaptation.
Climate change is a commonly researched phenomenon and a major concern of today. Over the past 30 years researchers have seen a decrease in the survival rates of migratory shorebirds, two of the major contributing factors are thought to be climate change and habitat destruction. Climate change is caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide or greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.
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Activity: Create a glossary of the above terms and any others you are unfamiliar with along the way.
Task 1
Migratory bird behaviours - Data analysis worksheet
The Ruddy Turnstone and Red Knot, like the Sharp-tail Sandpiper are migratory shore birds that visits Australia during migration. Over the past 30 years research has shown changes to migratory patterns, due to a climate change phenomenon known as Arctic amplification. Arctic amplification, in this case mostly caused by greenhouse gases, is the increased change in temperature towards the poles of the planet; this results in changes in the onset (starting time) of seasons. Altering the time that winter begins for migratory shore birds, means they must leave their breeding habitat in the north pole earlier and migrate towards the south pole.
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Watch the Ecology Symposium video below of Prof Marcel Klaassen explaining how the seasonal effects of climate change are shrinking the next generation of Red Knots. Following the video complete the attached worksheet.
Prof Marcel Klaassen's talk at the Deakin University Integrative Ecology Teaching symposium
Task 2
Conservation research task
Part A:
Follow the link below to the Overwintering Project Website.
The Overwintering Project is a conservation group that runs an art program for awareness and funding for their mapping sanctuaries of Australia's Migratory Shorebirds.
Explore their website and answer the following questions:
1) Summarise the conservation program and their mission. (No more than Paragraph)
2) What is the East Asian-Australasian Flyway? What significance does this flyway have to conservation of our shorebirds?
3) Summarise the Rasmar Convention. (No more than 1 Paragraph)
Discuss your answers in groups of 2 or more or as a class.
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Part B:
In groups of 2 or more research a conservation program that is currently active in Australia. (Does not have to be the conservation of shorebirds)
OR
In groups of 2 or more design your own Conservation program
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Answer the following questions and present your findings as a poster, booklet, article or video.
1) What Problem is the conservation program trying to address?
2) How do they aim to address this problem?
3) How do they inform or advertise to the public?
4) Are there any limitations that could effect the success of conservation? E.g. Ethical, economical, legal, political
(Hint- expectations for these are different in each state and country- is your conservation program global or national?)
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