In this video, environmentalist Susan Graham shares how drones and AI technology are helping to accelerate and scale-up land and ecosystem restoration projects around the world.
She describes how these technologies are being used in Australia to help recreate forests and ecosystems that were destroyed by coal mining, agriculture, invasive species, and bush fires.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The video is short but packed with great information about the role of technology in solving the climate crisis.
Additional Prerequisites
The video uses the metric unit of hectares, which may be unfamiliar to some students especially those from the U.S.
Students should be comfortable with the terms ecology, ecosystem, imported species, and endemic species.
It is assumed students know what AI technology is and how it can be used.
Differentiation
This video can be used in earth science classes when learning about climate change solutions. Students can explore other solutions to climate change using this table.
Biology classes can incorporate this video when learning about habitat restoration, invasive species control, or innovative technologies in ecology.
Students can learn about other uses of AI in the fight against climate change in this video about calculating carbon emissions and this interactive lesson about ocean clean-up.
Scientist Notes
This 2-minute TED talk is a short presentation of some ways in which drone technology has been used to restore and protect threatened habitats. This video quickly discusses topics including invasive species, habit loss and restoration, and machine learning tools. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
HS-ESS3-4 Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
HS-LS2-7 Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.
