Hello, Mrs. Lomas here.

I am a primary school teacher and my favourite subject is geography.

So I'm super excited to be joining you for your geography lesson today, and I have had a sneak little peek and it looks really exciting today so let's find out what we're going to do.

Today's lesson is all about biodiversity and sustainability.

And it is part of our Sustainable world, does it matter how we live unit.

By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain what biodiversity is and give some reasons why nature matters for a sustainable world.

We have some keywords in today's lesson.

They are climate crisis, conservation, rewilding and pollinator.

Let's do my turn, your turn.

Ready? Climate crisis.

Conservation.

Rewilding.

Pollinator.

Well done.

Let's have a look at what they mean.

Climate crisis is a term used to describe climate change and global warming and the impact of these on Earth.

Conservation is the careful protection of something.

Rewilding allows an area to restore itself to a natural state in which wildlife can return without human intervention.

A pollinator is an animal or insect that helps transfer pollen from plants.

So listen out for these words in today's lesson.

Today's lesson is split into two parts.

In the first part, we will try to find out what biodiversity is and investigate why it is being lost.

The second part of the lesson is where you can all get outside and do some field work because we will be investigating how we can protect and preserve biodiversity.

So let's get going with why is biodiversity being lost? 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. The word biodiversity combines the words biological diversity, and in simpler terms, biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth, from bacteria to badges, plants to people.

The range of life on our planet is amazing.

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

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 helps us all to survive and thrive.

Biodiversity plays an important role in sustaining water and soil quality.

It also helps to regulate the Earth's climate.

Trees, bushes and wetlands play an important role in helping to protect us from flooding by slowing down water and helping soil to absorb rainfall.

Plants and trees also clean the air we breathe and can help us tackle the global challenge of climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide.

Biodiversity provides food, energy, shelter and medicines.

Agriculture, for example, is incredibly reliant upon invertebrates.

Worms help to maintain the health of the soil that crops grow in.

Soil is also teaming with microbes that are vital for liberating nutrients that plants need to grow, which are then also passed to us when we eat them.

Many of our medicines, along with other complex chemicals that we use in our daily lives, such as latex and rubber, originate from plants.

And providing opportunities for recreation, recuperation and inspiration.

So let's do a quick check, shall we? Why is biodiversity so important? A, it helps keep the water and soil healthy.

B, it provides food, energy, shelter and medicines.

C, it means there are lots of the same animal, or D, it provides opportunities for fun, rest and imagination.

Pause the video, have a go and come back when you're ready.

How did you get on? If you said, A, it helped keeps the water and soil healthy.

B, it provides food, energy, shelter and medicines.

And D, it provides opportunities for fun, rest and imagination, you would be correct.

Well done.

So what is 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 at any time in human history.

Globally, the average population size of mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians has declined by 69% between 1970 and 2018.

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.

Biodiversity in the UK and Ireland.

On this map of the UK and Ireland, dark green land shows where there has been no loss of biodiversity.

Biodiversity has been lost in red and orange areas.

Between 1970 and 2023, the UK has lost almost 1/5 of its biodiversity.

That's much more than many other countries in the world.

Humans are just one of many species on Earth.

And our demand for resources, water, food and shelter, shapes the environment for other wildlife too.

The way we use land leads to the loss of habitats for other living things.

What humans do is often having a negative effect on biodiversity.

So time for a quick check.

True or false.

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

I want you to decide if that is true or false.

So on Earth, the variety of living things is getting smaller.

Is that true or false? Pause the video, have a go and come back when you're ready.

How did you get on? If you said it was true, you would be correct.

I now want you to try and justify your answer with either A, biodiversity is naturally getting smaller.

Or B, humans are affecting biodiversity.

Pause the video, have a go and come back when you're ready.

How did you get on? If you said B, humans are affecting biodiversity, you'd be correct, well done.

Let's have a look at exactly how humans have been affecting biodiversity.

If we know how we are damaging it, then we may be able to reverse or reduce negative human impacts.

We will begin looking at changes in land use through, for example, deforestation, habitat loss or fragmentation.

The biggest cause of biodiversity loss is how people use the land and sea.

One third of all land is now used for agriculture and this is the leading course of deforestation.

This makes it harder for animals to move, feed and mate freely.

It also affects ecosystem processes that rely on the movement of species like nutrient cycling and seed dispersal.

This is the main reason why biodiversity is in decline.

The next human impact on biodiversity is through direct exploitation such as hunting and overfishing.

Overfishing is when adult fish are being caught faster than they can breed and replenish the population.

And is one of the main causes of marine biodiversity loss.

It is estimated that around 80% of the world's fish stocks are already over exploited and in trouble.

Some types of tuna, like the ones in the photo, are now experiencing overfishing.

Another human impact on biodiversity is climate change.

Climate change is having such a serious impact on the Earth that it's now considered a climate crisis.

The climate crisis is having serious impacts on biodiversity, increasing global temperatures, melting sea ice and extreme weather can all disrupt the lifecycle of animals and plants as well as their behaviour such as annual bird migration.

It affects life on land like the catastrophic 2019 to 2020 Australian bush fires that affected nearly 3 billion animals.

At the same time, rising CO2 levels are endangering sea life by rising ocean temperatures and acidity levels.

The final impact of human activity on biodiversity is through pollution.

Pollution including from chemicals, plastics and other waste also significantly damages biodiversity.

It has especially harmful effects on plant and animal habitats in rivers, lakes, the sea and the oceans.

Invasive alien species.

These are animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms that have entered and established themselves in the environment outside their natural habitat.

Species that arrive where they historically did not occur often outcompete local biodiversity causing native species to die out.

For example, Japanese knotweed, which is spread across the UK.

So let's have a quick check, shall we? What is the main cause of biodiversity loss? Is it A, pollution.

B, overfishing.

C, climate change.

Or D, change in land use.

Pause the video, have a go and come back when you're ready to check your answers.

How did you get on? If you said that D change in land use was the main cause of biodiversity loss, You'd be correct.

Well done.

If you also notice that they are all causes of biodiversity loss, you can have a bonus point.

Fantastic.

So now it's time for Task A.

I want you to answer the following questions in as much detail as possible.

You may want to use the sentence starters to help you structure your answers.

So number one, what is happening to biodiversity? And you might want to say biodiversity is improving or declining globally.

And number two, why is biodiversity changing? And you might want to use this sentence starter.

This changing biodiversity is caused by.

So one more time.

Answer these two questions in as much detail as possible.

Number one, what is happening to biodiversity? And number two, why is biodiversity changing? Use the sentence stems to help you.

How did you get on? Let's have a look at Laura's answer to question one.

What is happening to biodiversity? "I know that biodiversity is declining globally and the UK has lost 1/5 of its biodiversity since 1970.

This will have an impact on human existence if we don't do something about it." And Alex answered question two.

Why is biodiversity changing? Alex said, "Humans are causing the variety of living things on Earth to get smaller.

The main impact is from land use change, from natural land to agriculture.

But hunting and overfishing, climate change and pollution all cause biodiversity to decline as well." How did you do? Now's your chance to pause the video and add in any details you might have missed if you want.

So now we've had a look at why is biodiversity being lost? Let's have a look at how can we protect and preserve biodiversity.

So now we know that the main cause of biodiversity loss is land use change.

Wild areas have been lost to make room for agricultural land in particular.

However, while many animal populations have become much smaller, a few have increased, especially thanks to conservation and rewilding.

Wildlife can return if we give it space and take measures to live alongside each other.

A number of wildlife species have made a spectacular return over the last four decades, proving that wild nature is resilient and can recover if conditions are suitable.

Although humans are responsible for the ongoing decline in nature, we can also be a part of the solution.

Conservation efforts have played an important role in the return of these mammals, but it is not the only reason for this positive development.

One important change is that the rise in agricultural productivity made it possible that the amount of agricultural land needed has declined across Europe, giving more habitat back to wildlife.

Countries brought in hunting quotas or even complete bans on hunting.

And some species such as the European bison were brought back through well-managed reintroduction programmes.

Examples of rewilding that will help biodiversity include, protecting, expanding and connecting ancient woodland so that habitats are conserved.

Bringing back missing species to pull up gaps in an ecosystem and reforge key relationships between species.

Connecting habitats by providing wildlife bridges so that wildlife can move naturally through an area.

Setting aside large areas for nature.

And even creating wildlife friendly gardens will help to preserve biodiversity.

Laura says, "I would like to be part of the solution and help to protect and preserve biodiversity.

Is there anything I can do to help?" I bet some of you feel that way too.

The answer when it comes to biodiversity is yes, everyone can make a difference.

Look at what Alex suggests.

"Maybe we could help to conserve a species by rewilding some of our local area?" Can you think of any species under threat that we could help? Pause the video, have a class discussion and come back when you're ready.

There is an important group of creatures called pollinators.

These include bees, wasps, beetles, flies, ants and butterflies.

As pollinators visit flowers to drink nectar or feed on pollen, they move pollen from flower to flower and help plants reproduce.

You might have seen this happening in your own local area, park or garden.

Pollination is an ecological service.

It helps protect its ecosystem, especially through helping plants reproduce that in turn helps human life.

Bees are some of the most important crop pollinators.

However, one third of bee and butterfly populations are declining in Europe.

And one out of 10 bee and butterfly species is threatened with extinction in Europe.

Healthy ecosystems provide us with many essentials we take for granted.

If there are fewer pollinators, then many plant species could decline or even disappear.

If this happens to the plants, then it will also affect the organisms that depend on them, such as bugs and plant eating animals.

In the long term, this may affect how much food the world is able to produce.

For example, raspberries and apples both depend on bees for pollination.

Let's have a quick check, shall we? Why are pollinators important to biodiversity? A, plant species could decline.

B, there will be less honey available.

Or C, farmers will be able to produce less food.

Pause the video, have a go and come back when you're ready to check your answers.

How did you get on? If you said that A, plant species could decline.

And C, farmers will be able to produce less food, you would be correct, well done.

Okay, now it's time for Task B.

This is the exciting part of our lesson today.

For your final task, I would like you to explore how you could rewild some of your school grounds to encourage and conserve pollinators.

For example, by planting British wildflowers or leaving land unknown and untended.

Land that is currently used as playing fields or as artificial surfaces such as paths, car parks or playgrounds could be returned to natural areas.

Do you have any places in mind? With England's primary and secondary school sites equating to roughly twice the size of Birmingham, our school grounds could make a big contribution to nature.

Which parts of our school would be suitable for rewilding? And how much of it should we rewild? We still need paths, playgrounds and playing fields, but we could identify some areas to use.

Make sure you note the positives and negatives for each site.

Pause the video, have a go and then come back when you're ready.

How did you get on? Did you find three possible locations to rewild? What were the positives and negatives of each site? Let's have a look at the results of my field work on my school site.

Which of them sound the best option to you? A, this is a good place to rewild because it is a peaceful spot away from the main school, and wildlife won't be disturbed by the children.

However, it is right next to the main road, which could be dangerous for some animals.

B, this area is on the grass verge next to the main path and isn't currently used for anything.

It is, however, within reach of children going in and out of the school so it may not be very peaceful.

And C, this is next to the playground, but behind a fence.

So it should be protected.

However, the ground here is not level and will need some attention before planting can begin.

If there's anything you want to add to your field work, pause the video, have a go and come back when you're ready.

So let's have a look at what we've learned in today's lesson.

The demand for resources for land, water, food, and shelter shapes the environment for wildlife.

Biodiversity is being lost more quickly than at any other time in human history.

Many animal populations have become much smaller, but a few have increased thanks to conservation and rewilding.

And pollinator insects, bees, wasps, beetles, flies, ants and butterflies play an important role in biodiversity.

Well done today, everybody.

I hope you really enjoyed the field work in today's lesson.

And hopefully, you're going to be able to rewild a part of your school grounds.

I'm off to have a look about which site I should choose for my school grounds.

Hopefully, I'll see you again soon for another geography lesson.

Bye.