Biodiversity Loss in New York State

 

Ms. Chatham

Marble Hill School for International Studies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction:

 

Biodiversity loss is a problem worldwide.  In the broadest sense, biodiversity is the sum of the variety of all living organisms, at the species level. This includes the earth's plants, animals, fungi, and even microbes that we don't see. About 1.5 million species of organisms have been named, and there are still an estimated ten to 100 million more that scientists have not yet been described!

There are intrinsic reasons why biodiversity is important. All organisms play some role in an ecosystem. Some are producers, including plants and certain bacteria that can synthesize foodstuffs from gaseous and other non-living sources. Others are herbivores (deer and songbirds), carnivores (foxes and vultures) and decomposers (most fungi and bacteria). All of these— including you — are a part of a cycle of energy that is captured from the physical environment, and degraded from one level of organisms to another before being returned to the non-living world.   If one of the major links in this "food chain" is eliminated, the cycle may be permanently disrupted.

You are a part of a team of conservation biologists brought in to assess the state of biodiversity loss in New York State.  You will investigate the core reason for this problem, assess its severity, and evaluate the effectiveness of the public policies currently in place to address biodiversity loss.  Finally, your team will design a policy that will fill the gaps found in the existing policies.

 

 

Task:

 

1.      Individually, you will be responsible for a typewritten two-page report on your findings.

 

2.     As a group, you will present a summary of your findings to the class.  This oral presentation must be at least five minutes long and contain a visual component (e.g., a map, a graph, poster board).

 

 

Process:

 

Use the worksheets hyperlinked below to guide you in your research and report:

 

1.      Define the problem.

 

2.     Gather evidence of the problem.

 

3.     Identify causes of the problem.

 

4.     Evaluate current public policies designed to address the problem.

 

5.     Develop your own solution to the problem.

 

 

Resources:

 

Use the following websites to help you in your research:

 

For general information on biodiversity loss:

www.nysm.nysed.gov/bri/

 

For endangered species in New York State:

www.dec.state.ny/website/dfwmr/wildlife/endspec/etsclist.html

 

For existing public policies on biodiversity loss:

www.defenders.org/bio-stny.html

 

For habitat loss:

www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/marine/twloss.html

 

 

Evaluation:

 

Rubric

Points

4

3

2

1

Total

Task Completeness

6 Steps

5 Steps

4 Steps

3 or fewer steps

 

Development & Organization

excellent organization & thorough explanations

very good organization & explanations

good organization & explanations

poor organization & explanations

 

Oral Presentation

All members participate; very clear, loud & understandable

All members participate; somewhat clear, loud & understandable

Some members; somewhat clear, loud & understanding

some members; not clear or understanding

 

Grammar

writing is in your own words; few grammatical errors

writing is in your own words; 5-8 grammatical errors

writing is in your own words; 9-11 grammatical errors

writing is not in your own words; 11> errors

 

Research

Gathered information from at least 4 online sources

Gathered information from at  3 online sources

Gathered information from at 2 online sources

Gathered information from at 1 online source

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

example: task 4; organization 3; presentation 3; grammar 3; research 4  total: 17 x 5 = 85%

 

Standards:

LIVING ENVIRONMENT:

#7 Human decisions and activities have had a profound impact on the physical and living environment.

·       identify ways in which humans have changed their environment and the effects of those changes

·       describe the effects of environmental changes on humans and other populations

·       explain how individual choices and societal actions can contribute to improving the environment

ENGLISH

#1 Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.

 

As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas, discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.

·       select information appropriate to the purpose of their investigation and relate ideas from one text to another

·       select and use strategies that have been taught for notetaking, organizing, and categorizing information

·       ask specific questions to clarify and extend meaning

 

 

Conclusion:

 

Having completed this WebQuest, you are now more aware of the issues surrounding biodiversity loss both worldwide and in your home state.  You have gained the ability to evaluate environmental public policies and to produce your own solution to this very important problem.