This excursion provides senior Geography students with an opportunity to complete a case study on an endangered ecological community, the Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub as part of their Ecosystems and Global Biodiversity studies. Students will engage in first hand data collection, investigate the dynamic functions of the ecosystem and understand the values and importance of the ecosystem and its protection
Stage 6 Geography
Students will study the endangered ecological community, Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub (ESBS) through scientific investigation. They will hone their skills in analysis and exploration to collect data on the interconnectedness of vegetation types, abundance, and structure using quadrats, as well as examine weather, soil properties, and plant adaptations to climate, fire, and soil fertility.
Students will explore how the ecosystem functions, including soil conditions, fire patterns, and vegetation changes over time. They will analyse their own research on the ecosystems past and present distribution, human impacts, and conservation efforts. Finally, they will evaluate current management strategies, their challenges, and overall sustainability of the environment.
ESBS program inquiry areas:
- The characteristics of the ecosystem, including its spatial pattern and the nature of its biodiversity
- The dynamics of ecosystem functioning, including vulnerability, resilience and ecological disturbance
- Human-induced modifications to the ecosystem
- Responses and strategies, including maintaining ecosystem functioning and actions for sustainability
- Differences in ecosystem management, compared with at least one other location, due to economic, political and sociocultural factors
- The role of contemporary research and innovation in the sustainable management of the ecosystem
This excursion is supported with a detailed workbook and provides an opportunity for the development of hypotheses, data analysis on species richness and density, vegetation structure, and ecological communities. It provides the basis for a depth study looking at the threats and management requirements of an endangered ecological community in an urban environment.
Curriculum links and syllabus outcomes: