Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Part A: Checking in on Marine Parks

30 minutes

Part B: 'See-Feel-Wonder' - Our Blue Planet

40 minutes

Part C: Creating Zones in a Multi-use Marine Park

10 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions:

Students will:

understand the competing pressures in ways people live with the ocean and the importance of managing resources and caring for the environment.

Success criteria:

Students can:

understand how marine parks support ocean conservation.
recognise the challenge of multi-use demands on the ocean.
consider opinions on marine park zoning.

Part A: Checking in on Marine Parks

Step 1

Begin by finding out what students know about different ocean activities. One way to do this could be to ask students to sit in chairs in a circle and place the Ocean Activity Images on the floor in the centre. Ask students to use these photos to make a list of all the things they can see in these images that people do around the ocean. To collect this information, you could ask one student to list the responses on a large sheet of paper or on the whiteboard. Then you could ask students what is missing. Prompt them to think about the different categories of use; such as for leisure, livelihood and commercial purposes, and add these to the list.

With all these different options, ask students to think about any problem they can see when looking at their list. Ask them to consider whether any activities might harm another activity. Facilitate the conversation around competition for the resources and ocean conservation.

Step 2

Introduce marine parks as one way that countries from all around the world can look after the oceans by regulating and managing the activities. Explain that regulations are like rules that guide what can and can't happen, and management is the process of making sure the rules are being followed and monitoring the impact of these regulations on the ocean.

The Great Barrier Reef is one example of a marine park in Australia. The Australian Government has created this marine park to protect this environmentally significant area. You may ask students to discuss what they think is significant about the Great Barrier Reef.

Part B: See-Feel-Wonder - Our Blue Planet

Step 1

Inform students that they are about to watch a video on marine sanctuaries. Let students know that you will be interested to know what they think is the difference between marine parks and marine sanctuaries.

Marine sanctuaries (https://vimeo.com/1056609500/dd132507b1)

After watching the video, ask students if they can answer the question:

“What is the difference between marine parks and marine sanctuaries?”

Discuss with students how marine sanctuaries are special designated areas within marine parks, with tighter regulations around the use of this area in order to protect sensitive areas, such as fish breeding areas. Ask students what else they discovered while watching the video.

Students should watch the video again and complete the 'See-Feel-Wonder' thinking routine on the Student Worksheet.

Step 2

The next part of the lesson allows students to investigate marine parks in Australia (also referred to as marine protected areas and marine reserves). Introduce the information below, which is also on the Student Worksheet, and ask students to consider what these statistics tell us about the commitment Australia has made to protect our oceans. They should record their answer on the Student Worksheet.

Around the world, marine protected areas cover less than 3% of the ocean, while fully protected marine reserves cover less than 1%. However, in Australia a network of Marine Protected Areas covers about one third of Australian waters. This is the world’s largest network of Marine Protected Areas.

Reference: http://www.marinereservescoalition.org/resources/marine-reserves-around-the-world/australias-marine-protected-area-network/

Step 3

Handout copies of the Marine Sanctuaries Factsheet. This can be used as a references for the rest of the lesson. Ask students to read through the factsheet and then direct their attention to the marine protected areas map on page 3.

Ask students to use this image to:

Locate the marine park nearest to where they live.
Locate the largest area of continuous marine park.
Name the two adjacent areas that make up the largest protected area.

After this exercise, you could ask students to complete questions 2 and 3 on the Student Worksheet.

Part C: Creating Zones in a Multi-use Marine Park

Step 1

Organise students into groups of three. Explain that they are about to make some decisions on zoning a hypothetical marine park. They will explore the description of the five different zones using the Zones For Marine Parks Factsheet and make a pie cart demonstrating the relative size of each zone. Their pie chart should have five segments to align with the five zones. Students may need to do a few drafts of their pie chart before they produce their final copy.

When deciding on the size of each zone, students should consider the scenario below and ensure the marine park allows for research, species protection, leisure, tourist income and commercial fishing.

Groups should also prepare a presentation explanation what they took into consideration in making the decisions for the size of each zone. Most importantly, students should state how the marine park conserves the delicate ecosystem for the generations that follow.

When planing your zones consider the following scenario

There are 6 species of fish and 4 species of seagrass found within this area. They are not found anywhere else on Earth.
The region includes important calving habitats for the world’s largest population of humpback whales.
The coastal area has great significance for the local Indigenous peoples who hunt and gather from the shores, waters and estuarine areas.
The waters have a well known surf break as well as protected swimming areas and sandy beaches.
A small commercial fishing fleet has operated in these waters for the last 100 years, providing fish and jobs to the local area.
The area has a town that thrives by offering holiday accommodation and restaurants for tourists.
The local population are members of a popular fishing and boating club and enjoy recreational fishing all year round.

Step 2

Groups will present their zones back to the whole class and explain the reasons for their decisions. There is no right or wrong answers, however students are expected to be able to explain their reasons. Explore any insights students have into the challenges of decision makers as they try to balance ocean conservation with the needs and lifestyles of the people who use it.

Step 3

Invite students to complete questions 5-7 on the Student Worksheet.

Reflection

Conduct a whole class discussion, inviting students to respond to the following questions:

Can we think of ways to reduce the impact on marine protected areas by those who rely on the ocean to make a living?
What is our vision for the future of the world’s oceans?

Take it further

Invite students to apply their learning in a real-world context by participating in the Social Action lesson.

Blue - Marine Sanctuaries

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Summary

Learning intentions:

Students will:

Success criteria:

Students can:

Lesson Guides and Printables

Lesson Details

Skills

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Additional Info

Related Professional Learning

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