Ecosystems and Global Biodiversity - Cronulla
Stage 6 - Geography
Location
Don Lucas Reserve, Cronulla
Overview-Coastal Dunes at Wanda
The coastal dunes at Wanda in Kurnell are a fragile and unique ecosystem, home to specialised plant communities and diverse wildlife. Over the past 200 years, human activities such as mining, development, and reshaping of the landscape have severely impacted the dunes. Recognised in the last 50 years as an ecosystem worth protecting, these dunes now rely on careful management to restore and maintain their resilience. Through field observations, measurements, photo analysis, and secondary data, students can explore the ecosystem’s functioning, biodiversity, human impacts, and conservation strategies.
Key syllabus outcomes
- GE-12-01 analyses rural and urban places, ecosystems, global biodiversity and economic activity, for their characteristics, spatial patterns, interactions, and nature and extent of change over time
- GE-12-02 analyses geographical processes and influences, at a range of scales, that form and transform places and environments
- GE-12-03 assesses geographical opportunities and challenges, and the role of varying perspectives and responses in their management
- GE-12-04 evaluates responses and management strategies, at a range of scales, for sustainability
- GE-12-06 justifies geographical methods used in geographical inquiry and their relevance in the contemporary world
- GE-12-07 selects and applies geographical inquiry skills and tools, including spatial technologies, fieldwork, and ethical practices, to investigate places and environments
- GE-12-08 applies mathematical ideas and techniques to analyse complex geographical data
Key inquiry questions
- How does this ecosytem function?
- Why is this ecosystem valued?
- What natural and human stressors are effecting this ecosystem?
- What are the trends for this particular ecosystem within a global biodiversity context?
Learning across the curriculum content
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures
- Sustainability
- Literacy
- Numeracy
Students will
- observe both migratory and local shorebirds first hand
- interpret and annotate a spacial map
- observe and record the unique features of an intertidal wetland ecosystem
- construct a flow diagram to describe the characteristics of the ecosystem
- collect abiotic data and observe its impact on biotics
- observe and assess human impacts and management strategies including traditional and contemporary management practices