Delivering subject content through nine life themes
The Wildlife Trusts, which represents 46 local organisations and 2,300 nature reserves in the UK, is recommending that all primary schoolchildren should spend at least one hour a day learning and playing in wild places. They point out that it will help to improve… Continue Reading “Connecting with the natural world”
According to the newly published Living Planet Report 2020, wildlife populations are in freefall around the world, and the principal cause is human activity. It says that, on average, global populations of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles fell by 68% between 1970 and… Continue Reading “Collapse in wildlife populations caused by human activity”
Last night David Attenborough, in the BBC documentary ‘Extinction: The Facts‘ tolled the bell on worldwide loss of habitat and biodiversity, threats to species and extinction of not just wild animals, but putting human existence itself at risk. Pulling no punches, Attenborough banged that… Continue Reading “Life-based learning on the environment ahead of the times?”
Ravaged oceans – A fishy tale: Preparing children for tomorrow’s world today ‘Sea monsters’, the size of football fields, trawl nets hundreds of metres long, catching everything in their path. These refrigerated, factory ships can catch and process up to 250 tons of fish… Continue Reading “What is to be done with super-trawlers?”
Our ravished oceans face another threat: irreversible damage to the world’s beautiful coral reefs. As reported by Aljazeera, half the corals on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef have died over the past 25 years. Climate change is irreversibly destroying the World Heritage-listed underwater ecosystem. Coral… Continue Reading “Coral reef threat to 25 percent of all marine creatures”
An important review has called for nature and the environment to be at the heart of learning in schools. The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review looks at the cost of humanity’s impact on the natural world and suggests eye-catching and often radical reforms… Continue Reading “Landmark Treasury review calls for high-profile nature education”
Birdwatching is an activity for all ages and interest in ‘twitching’ is on the increase. The Forum for Life-Based Learning is in favour of schools teaching about birds and promoting birdwatching as a way of increasing children’s appreciation of nature and promoting mental wellbeing.… Continue Reading “Birdwatching is a great way for children to learn more about nature”
A major United Nations report has characterised humanity’s relationship with the planet as a war and called for a fundamental reset in order to secure a prosperous and sustainable future for us all. The report, called Making Peace with Nature, has been published by… Continue Reading “We need to transform our relationship with nature, says the UN”
A bold and imaginative approach to boosting children’s post-lockdown mental health and wellbeing would include a coordinated effort — involving parents and schools, young people’s organisations like Scouts and Guides, and community-driven initiatives — to offer every young person encouragement and, more importantly, easy-to-access… Continue Reading “Being involved in positive change can boost children’s mental health”
‘Catastrophic decline’ is the quote used in the BBC headline accompanying yet another authoritative report warning of the threat to the Earth’s animal life. This particular report, published by the conservation group WWF in 2020, states that wildlife populations have fallen by more than… Continue Reading “Learning about animals is crucial if we want to protect biodiversity”