Lesson video

Hello, my name is Ms. Cherepchan.

You've made a great choice to learn geography with me today.

I'm so pleased that you've decided to complete your learning with me.

We are going to do brilliantly.

Let's start our learning for today.

Welcome to today's lesson from our unit on Land use: How diverse are local and UK landscapes? This lesson is called Changing land use.

You'll be learning to explain how land use changes affect wildlife.

Some of the learning is brand-new, but I'm here to help you.

This links back to previous learning you might have done on identifying types of land use and the percentages of each across the UK I'm really excited to get started, I hope you are too.

The keywords we'll be using today are average, variety, food chain, and diverse.

Let's do my turn, your turn.

Average, average.

Variety, variety.

Food chain, food chain.

Diverse, diverse.

Well done! I want you to be using these keywords throughout our lesson as well.

Let's think in more detail about what our keywords mean.

An average is found by adding two or more numbers together and then dividing the total by the number of numbers added together.

Variety is where the collection of things are different from one another.

A food chain shows how a group of living things are linked by what they eat.

Diverse means different from each other.

These are the learning cycles that we'll be working through together in today's lesson.

First, we'll be learning about how changing land use affects biodiversity.

Then we'll be learning about protecting biodiversity in the UK Are you ready to start your learning for today? Fantastic, let's begin.

You might have previously looked at the different types of land use and land cover in the UK and your own local area.

How diverse are the UK and local landscapes? Well, the more variety of different land use types, the more diverse that place will be.

The land use that we have in the UK affects UK wildlife.

Today we'll think about how we can make space for nature in all its variety.

So we are thinking about biodiversity as an important part of how the land is used.

The UN Convention on Biological Diversity defines biodiversity as, "The variability among living organisms from all sources, and the ecological complexes of which they are part.

This includes diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems." So in simpler terms, biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth.

Biodiversity is the variety of all living things on Earth and how they fit together in the web of life.

So why is biodiversity so important? Biodiversity and well-functioning ecosystems are critical for human existence.

We are all connected in a huge, natural system where each element supports and enables us to all survive and thrive.

Biodiversity plays an important role in providing food, energy, shelter, and medicines.

Agriculture, for example, is hugely reliant upon invertebrates, so things like worms, to help maintain the health of the soil, and that's what the crops grow in.

Many fruits, nuts, and vegetables are pollinated by insects.

So without these, we wouldn't have apples, cherries, blueberries, almonds, and many other foods that we love on our supermarket shelves.

Pollinators such as birds, bees, and other insects are responsible for a third of the world's crop production.

Biodiversity is also important for sustaining water and soil quality, it makes sure it's healthy.

Biodiversity also supports regulating the Earth's climate.

Trees, bushes, and wetlands play an important role in helping to protect us from flooding.

This is done by slowing down the water and helping the soil to absorb the rainfall.

Plants and trees also clean the air we breathe and help us tackle the global challenge of climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide, and biodiversity provides opportunities for fun, rest, and imagination.

How many reasons can you remember that explain why biodiversity is so important? Pause the video now and list all the reasons that you can remember.

Well done! Did your answer include any of these following reasons? Biodiversity provides food, energy, shelter, and medicines.

It helps keep the water and soil healthy.

It regulates the Earth's climate and helps to keep the climate steady, and it provides opportunities for fun, rest, and imagination.

If you've got those right, give yourselves a thumbs up.

Food chains show how plants and animals get their energy.

Most food chains start with a green plant that makes its own food from the Sun.

This food chain shows grass, which is then eaten by a rabbit, which is then eaten by a fox.

The arrow means is eaten by.

Let's have a look at this one example of how biodiversity is important, especially in a food chain.

The Sun provides producers like grass with energy they need for photosynthesis.

The grass grows, and soon primary consumers like rabbits that are herbivores will eat the grass.

These herbivores aren't the only mammals in this food chain.

Foxes prey on rabbits, and become the food chain's secondary consumers, but this isn't the end of the food chain because tiny living creatures called decomposers break down organic matter once any of the living things in the food chain die.

This releases nutrients into the soil, and in turn, helps the grass to grow and thrive.

Each of these organisms relies upon a different living thing in the food chain or the food web.

So let's have a check here.

Can you remember the correct order of this food chain? Think about which one is the plant, the primary consumer, or the herbivore? Which one is the secondary consumer, or the carnivore, and which one is the decomposer? Pause the video now and put this food chain in the correct order.

How did you get on? Let's check the order.

First, it's the grass.

Next, it's D, which is the rabbit, so that's the herbivore and the primary consumer because it eats the producer.

Then it's A, which is the fox.

The fox is a carnival and the secondary consumer in this food chain.

And finally, it's C, the fungus, which is the decomposer that breaks down the organic matter once the fox dies.

Well done if you got that right, give yourself a thumbs up.

Plants like these nettles grow in nature.

Humans sometimes call them weeds and remove them.

They may also be removed to make way for farming or artificial surfaces like roads.

Changing land use, which removes plants like nettles can have a negative impact on food chains that they belong to.

Let's look at this food chain.

The Sun gives the nettles energy for photosynthesis so they can grow.

The caterpillar, which is the herbivore and primary consumer eats the nettles.

The blue tit, which is the carnivore and the secondary consumer eats the caterpillar, and the sparrow hawk preys upon the blue tit.

It's the top predator in this food chain, and it's also a carnivore.

And then finally, the fungus and other decomposers break down dead or decaying organisms into other substances and nutrients that help the plants grow.

This is a simplified version of a food chain.

In reality, food chains are more like food webs.

For example.

, the blue tit eats the caterpillar, but so do other birds such as grey tits, as well as other animals such as shrews and spiders.

Each of these also eats other insects too, and that's how they're connected in a web.

But what happens when there is a loss of biodiversity? So now imagine that the producer is taken out of this food chain.

Can anyone think of a reason why nettles in this ecosystem might be removed? Discuss your ideas with your geography buddies.

Pause the video now.

Good job, how did you get on? Did you talk about humans removing the nettles because they are weeds and people might kill the weeds with weeded killer or pull them out? Did you talk about the land where they are being built on by builders to create artificial surfaces? Or maybe the land where they grow is being used for farming? Well done, so those are all reasons why humans might remove nettles from the food chain.

I'm sure you had a really good discussion about the value of preserving biodiversity and the impact that this can have on the food chain if plants and other producers are removed.

It's now time for Task A.

Have a look at the food chain here.

There's been a change in the food chain because plants have been removed.

What will be the effect of this on the rest of the food chain? Pause the video now and discuss this.

How did you get on? Did you think about these reasons to the question of what will be the effect of this on the rest of the food chain? Reasons like plants being removed might mean that herbivores like caterpillars die.

Less herbivores might mean that there'll be less carnivores like birds.

Less food will mean that animals might need to move somewhere else to find a food source, and carnivores will be forced to rely on other prey, which could reduce the number of animals outside of this food chain too.

Good job, it's now time to continue with our learning.

We are going to think about protecting biodiversity in the UK now.

So what's happening to biodiversity? It's now understood how important biodiversity is for human existence, and yet around the world, the variety of living things is getting smaller, more quickly than it has at any other time in human history.

Humans are having a negative impact and affecting biodiversity.

Let's have a check here.

This is a true or false question.

On Earth, the variety of living things is getting smaller.

Is this true or false? Pause the video now and answer this question.

Did you say true? That's correct.

The variety of living things is getting smaller.

Now let's think about justifying our answer and explaining why it's true.

Is the variety of living things on Earth getting smaller because, A, biodiversity is naturally getting smaller, or B, humans are affecting biodiversity? Pause the video now and justify your answer.

Did you answer B? That's right.

Humans are affecting biodiversity.

Well done, give yourselves a thumbs up, and let's continue with our learning.

We know biodiversity is declining because scientists have been tracking and counting species for hundreds of years.

Geographers have used this information to make maps of biodiversity loss.

This map represents the average losses of originally present species.

So, dark green land shows where 100% or all of the species originally present are still there, areas where there's been no loss of biodiversity.

Red areas on the map show where there's been a big loss of biodiversity as there are fewer species living there in that location, now than there ever used to be.

Biodiversity has been lost in these red and orange areas.

What colour is the map of the UK overall? Do you think that means the UK's biodiversity is intact? Or have we lost biodiversity? Pause the video and share ideas with your class.

Yes, almost all of the map is orange or red, and that means across the UK, biodiversity has been lost in huge numbers.

Let's have another little check here.

This is a true or false question.

The UK has not lost any biodiversity.

Is that true or false? Pause the video now and answer this question.

Did you say false? That's correct.

The variety of living things is getting smaller.

The UK has lost biodiversity.

Now let's think about justifying our answer, and explaining why it's false.

Is the correct answer, A, the map is mostly orange and red, which means a high percentage of the original species have been lost, or B, the map is mostly orange and red, which means a high percentage of the original species are still there today? Pause the video now and justify your answer.

The correct answer is A.

The UK has lost biodiversity because the map is mostly orange and red, which means a high percentage of the original species have been lost.

Well done, give yourselves a thumbs up! Let's continue with our learning now.

Let's look at this map of the UK again.

The UK has a biodiversity intactness index of 50%, which means it's lost about half of its biodiversity.

This biodiversity intactness index, the amount of biodiversity that is still intact or still present is far less than the global average of 75%.

The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world and is currently placed in the lowest 12% of global countries and territories for biodiversity intactness, that means that there's much more biodiversity lost here than any other countries in the world.

Let's check your learning now.

How much of the UK's biodiversity has been lost on average? Is it, A, one quarter, B half, or C, three quarters? Pause the video now and answer this question.

The correct answer is B.

The UK has lost on average half of its biodiversity.

Human actions have resulted in multiple changes to the natural environment, which has led to a negative impact on biodiversity.

Humans often change the land use from natural habitats to landscapes that are used by humans, for example, for agriculture.

This can reduce diversity.

So why has biodiversity in the UK gone down? Well, of course, if you need the land for farming, then the land needs to be cleared for crops or for pasture, that changes the land use from natural to agricultural.

There is a direct loss of habitat as trees are chopped down to make way for farmland, pastures for cattle, mining, and other industrial infrastructure.

The loss of green space to make way for urban areas and artificial surfaces is also a contributor, but is quite small by comparison.

In addition to this, most species cannot survive and reproduce on agricultural land, meaning that this has resulted in rapid population decreases for thousands of species, and it's a major cause of extinction risks.

Remember the nettles from our food chain activity? That's a perfect example of how one simple food chain can be disrupted by change in land use, and this has been happening all over the UK on a really large scale.

So what can we do about this loss of biodiversity? Thankfully, biodiversity loss is not irreversible.

The living things and ecosystems that we still have can be conserved and protected and we can begin to try and recover the lost biodiversity by making space for nature.

But how can we make space when so much of the land in the UK is already required for agriculture, housing, and transport? Maybe we could make space for nature in our local area.

So let's think about some ideas that could help increase biodiversity in the UK.

When we talk about making space for nature, we mean encouraging a variety of plants and wildlife to return to an area, by planting a wildflower meadow with flowers that encourage pollinators.

What about on your school field, if you have one? Have you already got a nature area in your school? Could this be expanded? Maybe your Eco Club can plant wildflowers in your school community or make a nature area on your school field.

What about road verges? There are 250,000 miles of road verges in the UK.

Bringing more verges into wildlife-friendly management would help flowers and wildlife thrive and move around.

Or your local parks, does it have a wildlife area where nature can thrive, or is it all short-mown grass? There are 27,000 parks in the UK, what if more parkland was given to nature alongside other uses for people? These are all actions we can take to support biodiversity intactness and reverse a loss of biodiversity that has already happened.

Let's have another check here.

Which of the following would help to protect biodiversity in the UK? A, Making a nature area on our school field, B, keeping grass cut short, C, making wildlife-friendly road verges or D, using land in parks for nature? Pause the video now and answer this question.

Did you answer A, C, and D? That's right.

Making a nature area on our school field, making wildlife-friendly road verges, and using land in parks for nature would help to protect the biodiversity in the UK.

Well done, give yourselves a thumbs up! It's now time for Task B.

We know there are lots of opportunities to make space for nature, but who is responsible for these areas? Road verges, parks, and the school grounds.

Your head teacher could help rewild your school, but the other areas are public spaces.

Your local MP would be the best person to help rewild these areas.

So for your task, I'd like you to write a letter to your MP or your local council to ask them to make space for nature in your local area.

MPs want to know what you care about.

Not only do they want to hear from you, but they also have a duty to listen.

It's their job to represent you in Parliament.

You can also encourage them to speak up for nature and champion ambitious measures to create a wilder future.

Use the letter template to help structure your writing and to try and include these three paragraphs.

You could write paragraphs to explain why biodiversity in the UK is a big problem.

Tell them what you've noticed about land use in your local area, and suggest ways to make space for nature in your local area.

Pause the video now and complete Task B.

How did you get on? Here's an example of a letter that I wrote that includes information that we've talked about today.

"Dear Prime Minister, I'm writing to tell you some shocking news about the state of biodiversity in the UK.

Did you know that we have lost on average about half of our biodiversity? That's much more than other countries in the world! I'm very worried about this and I think you should be too.

After all, biodiversity is important for the existence of the human beings.

I have been studying land use in geography, and I know that over half of the land in the UK is used for agriculture and farming.

In my local area, there are lots of farms too.

All the plants that used to grow there have been removed and animals find it hard to live on agricultural land so there aren't as many.

There are also lots of roads and artificial surfaces, which can act as a barrier for wildlife.

Even the park in our village has short-mown grass and no natural areas.

I have some great ideas about how we can improve this.

To make more space for nature, I think we should make all the verges along the roads into wildlife areas by planting wildflowers.

We could also use some of the land in our park as a nature garden and maybe even add a pond? Can you help my village put these plans into action? Thank you for reading my letter.

I hope you can help me make space for nature in my village.

Yours sincerely, Sammy Smith.

I'm sure you've written some brilliant letters to your MP, well done, you are going to be the change-makers and bring about the increase in biodiversity in the future.

Well done for all of your hard work today.

We've now come to the end of our lesson.

Let's go through a summary of all the learning that we've completed together today.

Biodiversity is a variety of all living things on Earth and how they fit together in the web of life.

Biodiversity is vital for food chains.

The UK has lost on average about half of its biodiversity, that's much more than many other countries in the world.

There are simple things that we can do locally to protect biodiversity.

You've been fantastic today.

Give yourselves one last thumbs up, and well done for joining me today and for sharing your learning with me! See you next time for more geography lessons soon, bye!.