Aim

To investigate how the science underpinning biodiversity studies can help in selecting priority areas for conservation.

National Curriculum themes

KS3 Sc2 5a - "ways in which living things and the environment can be protected"
KS4 Sc1 1d - "to consider the power and limitations of science in addressing ... environmental questions, including the kinds of questions science can and cannot answer, uncertainties in scientific knowledge, and the ethical issues involved"

Ask pupils to think about and discuss how they would protect living things in the UK.
Collate range of ideas produced. Look at Saving biodiversity page.
One of the approaches is to create a network of national parks and local nature reserves. Ask how pupils would decide where to locate such protected areas?
Ask where pupils would locate a nature reserve on the Biodiversity hotspots landscape map.
Introduce the idea that biodiversity can be measured in different ways. Work through the Species richness and Range-size rarity activities. Look at how these measures produce different biodiversity hotspots on the landscape map. Which area would pupils choose to locate a nature reserve?

Review the Species richness and Range-size rarity measures and the Biodiversity hotspots data.
Introduce the idea of Taxic richness. Work through the activity, and see how this measure produces yet another biodiversity hotspot. Which area would pupils now choose?
Use the Worldmap software to look at a real UK example. Where would pupils locate nature reserves? How many would they need? What additional factors other than biodiversity science may influence where nature reserves are located?