What is natural heritage and why do we need to work hard to preserve it?

Your Challenge:

What is so special about natural heritage? What threatens sustaining the world’s natural heritage? Why will the world be worse off without any natural heritage? Use the example of the Great Barrier Reef to help you answer these questions.

Follow this Process:

• Watch these three video clips as a class:

  1. Natural heritage of the World

  2. Greening Australia Reef Aid: How You Can Help Save the Great Barrier Reef

  3. The Perfect Coral Reef - David Attenborough's Great Barrier Reef: An Interactive Journey

• Take notes in pairs about what is unique about Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Why is it important to protect it? Why can we define the Great Barrier Reef as an example of natural heritage?

• Brainstorm ideas about what threatens natural heritage? (e.g. pollution, population growth). What are scientists doing to sustain natural heritage? What can we do to sustain natural heritage and prevent human pollution spreading into our oceans?

• Summarise your ideas make a presentation (powerpoint, poster, video, speech). Use the Great Barrier Reef as your example of natural heritage. Describe what natural heritage is, what why we must protect natural heritage. Can you think of any other examples of natural heritage in your area?

• Present your ideas to the class, taking turns to each answer sections of the presentation.

• Take action and decide how you will share your newfound knowledge of natural heritage. What are some ways you can personally help to protect New Zealand’s natural heritage?

• Capture and share your outcomes using photo and/or video and post on this site to inspire others.

Educator Notes

To make this more challenging:
Ask class to research an example of natural heritage of their own and to take only inspiration from the videos provided.

To simplify this:

Give the groups example answers to the questions and focus the task around formatting the answers into a poster or slideshow.