Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

20 minutes – Part A: Flying-fox Facts
30 minutes – Part B: Flying-foxes in Malaysia
30 minutes – Part C: Local Indicator Species
10 minutes – Reflection

Part A: Flying-fox Facts

Step 1.

Explain to the class that in this lesson they will be investigating an international example of environmental management and comparing this to work being done in Australia. Introduce students to the term 'ecosystem services'. Explain that ecosystem services are functions that species play that have benefits to humans and the wider environment. An example of an ecosystem service is coastal plants preventing soil erosion and keeping beaches intact. Explain to students that other ecosystem services include water purification, providing various raw materials, supporting a range of recreation activities, and pollination.

Note: for a more comprehensive background on ecosystem services, see Ecosystem Services: Key Concepts and Application (page 9).

Step 2.

If students have completed either of the two lessons in the Citizen Science – Geography Unit, revise learning by discussing the following statements:

'Flying-foxes are important parts of the environment' – remind the class that megabats are important pollinators for native and crop species, and that they pollinate over long distances, which is increasingly important in environments fractured by land clearing.
'Bats are bioindicators' – flying-foxes are sensitive to heat, so recording their behaviours over a long-term period can help us understand the changing climate. Scientists record some species reactions to check the health of the environment. These organisms are known as bioindicators or indicator species. Projects such as Earthwatch's ClimateWatch program are working to record data on indicator species like flying-foxes, so we can make more informed decisions about how to manage the environment.

Explain to students that in this class they will be investigating our changing environment by focusing on the behaviour of animals. The animals that they will be focusing on are a group of bats known as flying-foxes. These animals provide a range of important ecosystem services.

Step 3.

Play the following clip and invite students to keep an eye out for any unexpected characteristics of the bats or possible ecosystem services shown, then facilitate a quick class discussion to share what students learned from the clip.

Fruit bats in Australia (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UL0cQ0rhqN8)

Part B: Flying-foxes in Malaysia

Step 1.

Explain to the class that the ecosystem services that flying-foxes provide can be critical, not only for the environment but also for economic reasons. Play the clip below and invite students to keep an eye out for what actions are being taken to protect flying-foxes:

Dwindling flying fox numbers a thorny issue (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSYe8ZNk_o)

Consider projecting a digital map of Malaysia to help students understand that Malaysia is a country in our region (Asia-Pacific).

If you would like to further immerse the class in current information about Malaysia, you may also choose to share some of the following statistics; Malaysia's population and Malaysia's economy Share with the class that protecting biodiversity is important in all parts of the globe, but especially in tropical areas like South East Asia. These are regions where most of the globe’s biodiversity occurs, yet also where most land-use change, sustainable development challenges, and climate change impacts will occur.

Invite students to complete the 'Think-Pair-Share' visible thinking routine to discuss the question: What is being done to protect Malaysian flying-foxes?

Think Pair Share
Think pair share is a collaborative learning strategy in which students work together to solve a problem or answer a question.
Think - students independently think about an issue or question and record their thoughts.
Pair - students work in pairs to discuss their ideas and record new thoughts.
Share - students share their thoughts with the whole group or with other pairs to reach consensus.

One suggested answer is that people are performing research to find out how best to protect Malaysian flying-foxes.

Step 2.

Project the following research abstract, taken from the article by Sheema et al. (2017) titled 'Pollination by the locally endangered island flying fox [Pteropus hypomelanus] enhances fruit production of the economically important durian [Durio zibethinus]'. Explain to students that this text is from an academic journal article called Ecology and Evolution. It is part of a larger article about flying-foxes and a group of plants called chiropterophilous, meaning a group of plants that have evolved special features to make their nectar and pollen attractive to bats. Explain that one such plant produces the durian, which is a tropical fruit that generates millions of dollars in local Malaysian and International trade. If you would like to explore this further with the class, the following article contains more information about the importance of the durian as well as footage of a bat pollinating this plant, Durian industry could suffer without the endangered fruit bat.

Now, read through the text as a class (the abstract is also on the Student Worksheet).

Invite students to reread the abstract for themselves and then work in pairs to discuss the questions below, noting down the main points of their discussion in the space provided on the Student Worksheet. Encourage students to look up any words that they are unfamiliar with:

What is the aim of the research?
In your own words, summarise how was the research was conducted.
Are the researcher's findings positive or negative? What does she indicate the results could be used for?

Invite pairs to form a square by joining with another pair, and share their discussion points. Before moving on, highlight for the class that in late 2017, flying-foxes became a protected species in Malaysia. Prior to their protection, an estimated 22,000 flying-foxes were legally hunted each year. Due in large part to this research, it is now illegal to hunt flying-foxes in Malaysia.

Step 3.

Explain that students will now be looking closer to home to investigate actions being taken to protect flying-foxes in Australia. Project a selection of the following sites or invite students to form small groups and access the web pages themselves (links also provided on the Student Worksheet):

National policy: https://www.animalsaustralia.org/issues/flying-foxes.php
State of QLD policy: https://www.ehp.qld.gov.au/wildlife/livingwith/flyingfoxes/living-with-flying-foxes.html
State of NSW policy: https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/topics/animals-and-plants/native-animals/native-animal-facts/flying-foxes/living-with-flying-foxes
State of VIC policy: https://www.wildlife.vic.gov.au/our-wildlife/flying-foxesEncourage students to make a brief note under the pages visited to summarise the actions taken to protect bats, for example 'penalties for harassing or injuring flying-foxes'.

Now, facilitate a class discussion around the actions being taken to protect Australian flying-foxes. Students might be able to identify that Australia's protection of flying-foxes has a number of incentives, education programs and deterrents for harming these animals. Begin a discussion around which of these actions may be most effective and which actions students think might be worth establishing in Malaysia now that flying-foxes are protected. They may also note that despite Australia's work in this space, a number of flying-foxes are still either classified as vulnerable or endangered. What is needed is more research to help better manage these species.

Search your local council area or university to see if there are any efforts to protect or monitor flying-foxes near to you.

Step 4.

Introduce students to the work of Earthwatch's ClimateWatch program. Explain that ClimateWatch works to record long-term data about indicator species such as flying-foxes using an app and a website. ClimateWatch asks citizens to download the app and record sightings of various indicator species. The data is then checked by trained scientists before being placed on the ClimateWatch website.

The information that citizen scientists collect can then be used to understand the long-term impacts of changes to our environment. With this information, we can make a more informed decision about how to better manage the environment. For flying-foxes, ClimateWatch's data could be used to find out the effects of climate change and land clearing on flying-foxes (as well as a number of other species), but they need citizens to help with this data collection.

Part C: Local Indicator Species

In this final part of the lesson, students will work in groups to investigate a local indicator species. They will find out how this species contributes to the region as part of a wider biome's unique characteristics.

Step 1.

Invite students to form small groups and open the ClimateWatch page (https://climatewatch.org.au/) on an internet-enabled device. Guide students to the 'species' tab and ask them to filter the species by 'region' and 'period'. Students will now have a list of plants and animals in your state at this time of year. Explain to students that they will be investigating a species from this list and establishing if it provides an ecosystem service.

Step 2.

Invite groups to open new tabs for each species on the list that take their interest. Groups should then open the interactive maps (under the 'when and where' tab) for these species and determine if the species have been sighted reasonably locally. Encourage groups to list local indicator species in the Student Worksheet, aiming to find a minimum of three.

Step 3.

Now, challenge groups to research the species on their list to find if they provide an ecosystem service. Remind students that this could include actions such as reducing pests, pollinating plants, improving soil or water quality – any service that humans benefit from.

Once groups have at least one local species that performs an ecosystem service, project a map of your local area (Google maps or Google Earth both work well). Invite groups to present which species they have investigated, where they are located and what ecosystem services they provide. If possible, as students present, drop pins in the locations they identify, to illustrate the range of valuable biodiversity you have in your area.

Step 4.

Conclude this lesson by discussing with students how, if we are to better understand how our changing environment is affecting these valuable species, we need more information. Encourage students to think about if they walk, ride or drive past any of the locations on the map regularly. Explain that students can be a part of ClimateWatch's work by downloading the app, making a free profile and snapping a photo of the species they encounter while passing by.

Note: ClimateWatch's indicator species have been selected, in part, due to their relative abundance throughout Australia. So, even if you are an urban school you will find a range of species close to you.

Reflection

Invite students to complete the following reflection question on the Student Worksheet:

If Malaysia were to implement one action to protect flying-foxes that we currently take in Australia, what would you recommend it be and why?

Differentiated Learning

Extension – Invite students to plan a trip to one of the areas that they located on the map. Download a species guide for the plants and animals that the students identified as well as the ClimateWatch app. Once you arrive at your location, run a class species identification session, inputting your data into the app as you go.

Provisions for Learning Support – Once you have identified the local indicator species in your area, allocate one species per group and step the class through a guided online research process.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Citizen Science - The Role of Research in Environmental Management

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