Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Advocate for big impact

15 minutes

Find Out: Conservation projects

30 minutes

Take Action: Design your own project

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

plan a creative solution to improve biodiversity in their local area
apply their understanding of First Nations knowledge and scientific principles to conservation challenges.

Success criteria

Students can:

plan, draft, and refine a biodiversity-supporting design that combines First Nations and scientific knowledge, using repurposed materials where possible.

Tune In: Advocate for big impact

Step 1

Watch the following video to introduce an example of a youth-led conservation project from Seed Mob. Seed Mob is Australia’s First Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth-led climate justice network. They work to engage and support young First Nations people in addressing the impacts of climate change and fighting to protect Country.

WE ARE SEED - (vimeo.com/961689071?fl=pl&fe=vl&pgroup=plv)

Step 2

Write each of the questions below on an individual sheet of butcher's paper:

Why do you think community-led or youth-led projects, such as Seed Mob in the video, are particularly effective for conservation?
What local plants or animals are important to you? What could you do to help protect them?
What are some small actions individuals can take to protect biodiversity in their own lives or communities?

Step 3

Place the butcher’s paper in 4 different areas of your classroom and invite students to share their ideas using pens and markers. After students have brainstormed, read through their responses and summarise how advocacy can create a big impact on biodiversity.

Find Out: Conservation projects

Step 1

As a class, read through the following case studies. Explain that each project combines First Nations knowledge with scientific approaches to care for Country and improve biodiversity.

Case study 1: Arnhem Land Fire Abatement Northern Territory (ALFA NT)

What threat are they working to mitigate?
ALFA aims to reduce the risk of uncontrolled wildfires in Northern Australia. Large, hot fires damage biodiversity, threaten communities, and release huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

What are their key actions?
• Supporting Aboriginal rangers to carry out early dry season cultural burns that are cooler and more controlled.
• Generating Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) through savanna fire management, which provides income for First Nations landowners and communities.
• Combining traditional ecological knowledge with Western science to improve land management across vast areas.

What is their main message?
By blending cultural knowledge with science, Aboriginal people are leading solutions to climate change, restoring biodiversity, and strengthening community economies through carbon farming.

Case study 2: The University of Sydney in collaboration with Gamilaraay Grains Custodians

What threat are they working to mitigate?
Under the guidance of Gamilaraay Grains Custodians, a team of researchers at The University of Sydney is working to restore native grasslands that have been cleared or replaced with introduced crops. This leads to biodiversity loss and a decline in traditional food sources for First Nations peoples.

What are their key actions?
• Researchers and First Nations communities are working together to revive and harvest native grasses.
• Studying native grains for their nutritional value, drought resistance, and role in healthy ecosystems.
• Combining cultural knowledge of traditional harvesting with scientific research to develop sustainable food systems.

What is their main message?
Native grasses and grains are not only part of First Nations culture but also a key to future food security and sustainable farming.
Protecting and reviving these ecosystems helps people, animals, and the environment.

Step 2

Initiate a class discussion with students using the following questions:

What ideas from these projects could inspire us locally?
How could we adapt practices like native planting to our own school or community?
What role could both First Nations knowledge and science play in our own biodiversity projects?

Encourage students to note down inspiration for their own designs.

Take Action: Plan your own project

Step 1

Now that students have seen how real-world projects combine First Nations knowledge and science, invite them to brainstorm a biodiversity project for your own community. Working in small groups, plan a biodiversity-supporting creation, such as:

bee hotels made from repurposed materials
seed bombs with native species
mini habitats like nesting boxes
a native garden
educational signage to raise biodiversity awareness.

Step 2

After brainstorming, ask each group to draft their design. This could be a labelled drawing, a simple prototype using scrap paper or cardboard, or a digital sketch if devices are available. In their draft, students should show:

what materials they will use (especially repurposed ones)
how their design supports biodiversity
how it reflects both First Nations knowledge and science (if applicable).

Learning opportunity: Allocate additional lessons for students to enact their plans and designs. An additional lesson would require students to construct their creation.

Reflection

Step 1

Groups present their draft to another group for quick peer feedback, allowing them to refine their design before moving into construction.

Building Biodiversity in Our Community

Summary

Lesson Guides and Printables

Building Biodiversity in Our Community

Summary

Lesson Guides and Printables