Why Do We Need Biodiversity?
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Provided by: The Kid Should See This|Published on: January 31, 2023
Articles/WebsitesScientist Reviewed
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This animated video, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, describes the pressures that biodiversity is under due to many human activities and details the many benefits of biodiverse ecosystems for humans.
- Through the video and article, students will learn why biodiversity is so important to all of us, see examples of ecosystems that rely on biodiversity to function, and be inspired to protect and improve biodiversity in our own backyards and around the world.
Subjects: Biology, Earth and Space Sciences
Authors: The Kid Should See This, The Kid Should See This
Region: Global
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- Sir David Attenborough is an articulate narrator who makes this video engaging and easy to follow.
- This resource provides specific, relatable examples of why biodiversity is so important, even focusing on crop production and medicines that originate from plants and fungi.
Additional Prerequisites
- It is important for students to understand what biodiversity is before beginning this video.
- Provide students time to explore the 14 other links within this site in order to enhance learning on this and other related topics.
Differentiation
- While watching the video, ask students to take notes on specific examples of biodiversity loss, the importance of biodiversity, human actions that are causing it, and what we can do about it.
- As an extension, have students use the first link within the text to read more on The Royal Society's website about reversing biodiversity loss and come up with a poster to support their findings.
- Consider having students use this interactive map to learn more about the planet's biodiversity hotspots and discuss relationships that they notice between cities, agricultural areas, and biodiversity.
- This video could be used as a hook for biology classes learning about the diversity of life, evolution, ecosystems, habitat loss, overharvesting wildlife, coral bleaching, or deforestation.
- Language arts or science classes could do research projects to do a deeper dive into specific species that are being impacted by human activities and how to protect them.
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About the Partner Provider
The Kid Should See This
The Kid Should See This is a Webby award-winning collection of over 7,000 kid-friendly videos, curated for teachers and parents who want to share smarter, more meaningful media in the classroom and at home. Selections are grown-up-friendly, too. And thanks to TKSST members, it’s free and ad-free for everyone. Start conversations, spark questions, and inspire offline exploration for all ages.
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
