Module 5
People and the Forest: Historical, Cultural,
Economic, and Ecological Perspectives
Module Overview
Forests have long played important historical, cultural, social, economic, and ecological roles in society. For millennia,
people have depended on forests for a range of goods and services, including timber and non-timber resources such as
food, traditional medicines, and pharmaceuticals, for valuable “ecosystem services” such as mitigating climate change,
protecting watersheds, and regulating carbon, hydrologic, and nutrient cycles, and for recreation and jobs. Forest
biological diversity also has important economic, social, and cultural roles in the lives of many indigenous and local
communities.1 Balancing the needs of people and wildlife means finding sustainable ways to manage land and addressing such issues as: conversion of forests to agricultural land, grazing, introduction of invasive species, infrastructure
development, mining and oil extraction, forest fires, pollution, and climate change.
As we become increasingly aware of the challenges we face, we recognize the need to create a new model for
conservation that involves local people as stewards of the environment and provides them with long-term economic
and social incentives for maintaining habitats. In this exploration, students focus, through a role-play and interactive
habitat conservation game, on the temperate forests of central China and the challenges in balancing the economic,
social, and cultural needs of people while conserving this habitat and ensuring the ecological needs of the people and
other species within it are met, including those of one of its most beloved inhabitants, the endangered giant panda.
In the process, students come to see that conservation is good for people and pandas.
Activities Overview
Pre-Activity: Forests and People: From Ancient Sumer to Appalachia (Optional)
Students create graphs, timelines, and pie charts to demonstrate how people have used forests for millennia,
and explore social and cultural perceptions of forests through time.
Core Activity: Finding Common Ground: People, Pandas, and Conservation
Students learn about integrated conservation development programs (ICDPs)
and some of the promising steps and challenges in temperate-forest and giant panda
conservation. They apply this knowledge when engaging in a full-inquiry conservation
challenge role-play, debate, and online habitat conservation game. See pp. 50-51 to see
how this activity aligns with national science and social studies standards.
Extension Activity: US Habitat Conservation Connection: Black Bear
Students make connections between the challenges the giant panda faces in
China and those the black bear faces in North America.
Habitat Journal & Action Plan Portfolio
Students take action steps toward creating a conservation action plan by
recording their reflections, hypotheses, and Investigation Questions in their
Habitat Journals, and by compiling resources in their Action Plan Portfolios.
Family Learning Activity: Family Computer Time
We provide tips for engaging in our interactive, online conservation
games as a family.
Module 5 People and the Forest: Historical, Cultural, Economic, and Ecological Perspectives 49
Duration:
60 minutes for reading
60 – 90 minutes for role-play and debate
45 minutes for online habitat game
Finding Common Ground: People, Pandas, and Conservation
Core Activity Lesson Plan
Overview
Students learn about some of the promising steps and challenges in temperate-forest and giant panda conservation by
learning about integrated conservation development programs (ICDPs). They then apply this newly acquired knowledge
when engaging in a full-inquiry conservation challenge role-play and debate, and an online habitat conservation game.
Objectives
Students will:
• examine causes of habitat and biodiversity losses and solutions to it.
• recognize the opportunities for a new conservation paradigm.
• learn about promising approaches and challenges to integrated conservation development.
• learn about conservation challenges within reserves and middle landscapes.
• comprehend that conservation efforts require the involvement and support of local people to succeed.
• provide suggestions for conserving habitat and balancing the needs of people.
• engage in a full-inquiry activity in which they create the question/problem for investigation related to
a conservation challenge in the Chinese temperate forest.
• examine historical, social, economic, and ecological perspectives and interests of players in a role-play and debate.
• work collaboratively to support their conclusions with evidence grounded in scientific research, formulate
and challenge hypotheses, and suggest and assess viability of solutions.
National Standards Alignment
Science
Unifying Concepts and Processes; Science as Inquiry; Life Science;
Science and Technology; Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
Essential Knowledge, Skills and Processes
retrieve information from print and electronic sources; present data
using persuasive argument, graphical aides, and mental models
comprehend that the number of organisms that a given ecosystem
can support depends on the available resources in the system
and abiotic factors; organisms need to maintain stable internal
conditions while adapting to a constantly changing external
environment; describe how changes in the environment can bring
about changes in species (i.e. mutation, natural selection,
adaptation, and extinction)
compare and contrast natural and human-induced disturbances
that threaten or enhance species survival; predict the effect of
climate change, catastrophic disturbances (fire, drought, flood),
habitat loss or fragmentation, and loss of biodiversity on
ecosystem function
describe ways that human interaction has altered habitats positively
and negatively;
identify ability of technological design to address
conservation challenges, to meet a human need, or solve
a human problem; design a solution or product from a
testable question related to the relationships between
ecosystem dynamics, human activity, and habitat conservation; devise a method to test the validity of predictions and
inferences; make logical connections between evidence and
explanations; compare ideas with current scientific knowledge; refine and refocus Investigation Question(s); have
peers critique experimental design
apply scientific understandings and processes to decisionmaking in personal and social issues such as resource-use
or human impact on the environment; consider and analyze
risks and benefits; understand that technological changes
are often accompanied by social,
political, and economic changes
that can be beneficial or
detrimental to individuals,
society, and
the environment
evaluate the impact of land-use and renewable and non-renewable
resource-use and management; understand that human activities
can accelerate many natural changes
50 Module 5: Finding Common Ground/Core Activity Lesson Plan
National Standards Alignment
Social Studies
I Culture
VII Production, Distribution & Consumption
Performance Expectations
Performance Expectations
b. explain how information and experiences may be interpreted by
people from diverse cultural perspectives and frames of reference;
III People, Places & Environments
b. describe the role that supply and demand, prices, incentives,
and profits play in determining what is produced and
distributed in a competitive market system;
VI Power, Authority & Governance
Performance Expectations
c. use appropriate resources, data sources, and GIS maps to
interpret information;
h. examine, interpret, and analyze land-use and settlement patterns,
cultural transmission of customs and ideas, and ecosystem changes;
j. observe and speculate about social and economic effects of
environmental changes and crises resulting from phenomena
such as floods, storms, and drought;
k. propose, compare, and evaluate alternative uses of land
and resources.
Investigation Questions
Performance Expectations
f. explain conditions, actions, and motivations that contribute
to conflict and cooperation within and among nations;
X Civic Ideals & Practices
Performance Expectations
c. locate, access, analyze, organize, and apply information
about selected public issues—recognizing and explaining
multiple points of view;
d. practice forms of civic discussion and participation
consistent with the ideals of citizens in a democratic republic;
Our Questions for Investigation
What are the main conservation challenges in the
Chinese temperate forest?
What challenges have reserves faced? What challenges
have giant pandas faced?
What is the 4-Cs formula for conservation?
What is promising about integrated conservation
development programs (ICDPs)?
What role do local people play in helping conservation
efforts succeed or fail?
What solutions do we have for conserving this habitat
while balancing the needs of people?
What historical, social, cultural, economic, and ecological
stakes do the global community have in conserving
forest biological diversity?
The Student Overview Sheet (Handout 1) includes these questions and all core student readings.
Module 5: Finding Common Ground/Core Activity Lesson Plan 51
Teacher Preparation
(Optional) 1. As an optional pre-activity, partner with your students’ social studies teacher(s) to examine
the ways people in various civilizations have used forests for millennia. See “People and Forests:
From Ancient Sumer to Appalachia” in the Teacher Resources section for a lesson plan
(http://nationalzoo.si.edu/education/conservationcentral/teacher/resources/).
2. Understand the major challenges and promising steps in temperate-forest and giant panda conservation.
See “Challenges and Promising Developments in Temperate-Forest and Giant Panda Conservation” in the
Appendix on p. 96. Depending on student reading level, you may choose to copy and distribute this reading
to them, or summarize key challenges and promising steps.
3. Consult Teacher Resources for information on challenges in reserves and Integrated Conservation
Development Projects (ICDPs). ICDPs link biodiversity conservation in protected areas (PAs) with local
socio-economic development to provide local people living in or near protected areas alternative sources
of livelihood that reduce pressures on PA resources.2 Note: To access the two Science articles online, you will
need to supply a name and a password. These are core student readings, so please print out, copy, and
distribute these articles to students.
Vocabulary
buffer zone, cash crop, census, core habitat, corridor, degradation
(environmental), demography, economic development, ecosystem
services, ecotourism, ethnic minority, GIS (Geographic Information
Systems), incentive, integrated conservation development program,
middle landscape, migrate, monoculture, nature reserve, poach,
remote sensing, silting, snare, socioeconomics, survey,
sustainable development
Note: Please refer to “Challenges and Promising
Developments in Temperate-Forest and Giant Panda
Conservation” (Handout 3, Appendix p. 96) and “Panda Under a Pear Tree”
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Publications/ZooGoer/2001/1/pandapeartree.cfm
to see these vocabulary words used in context.
Materials
Print and Internet resources
Student Overview Sheet (Handout 1)
Finding Common Ground Student Activity Sheet (Handout 2)
Challenges and Promising Developments in Temperate-Forest and Giant Panda Conservation (Handout 3, see Appendix p. 96)
Conservation Challenge Worksheet (Handout 4)
Habitat Adventure: Panda Challenge (online habitat conservation game)
Requires a computer connected to the Internet with Macromedia Flash plug-in (installed on most browsers)
52 Module 5: Finding Common Ground/Core Activity Lesson Plan
Procedure
Part l: Finding Common Ground: Conservation Challenge Role-Play and Debate
In this full-inquiry activity, students choose the particular conservation challenge they would like to address,
generate their own Investigation Questions, and suggest and assess possible solutions. Core readings provide
them with the necessary background information.
1. Tell students that they will take action steps toward a possible solution to a conservation challenge in the
temperate forests of central China.
2. Distribute the Student Overview Sheets and discuss Investigation Questions. Print, copy, and distribute
key readings (including the Science articles). Set aside one class period for students to begin the readings and
then have them complete the readings as homework.
3. Distribute the “Finding Common Ground” Student Activity Sheet to help students organize their ideas
as they read about conservation challenges and opportunities. As they read, ask them to list the particular
challenges, opportunities, and key players involved. They should also write their own Investigation Questions.
4. After students are finished reading, summarize promising integrated conservation development programs
in Pingwu County, the 4-Cs of conservation, and some of the challenges that exist in managing protected areas
(see “Conservation Challenges and Promising Steps”).
Allow 60 minutes for steps 1-4.
5. Organize students into cooperative groups of six to eight to address one conservation challenge of their
choosing. The “Conservation Challenge” Worksheet will provide them with some ideas, but students can also
refer to key readings and the “Conservation Challenges and Promising Steps” handout for additional ideas.
6. Groups can create Conservation Challenge Cards using information from their “Finding Common Ground”
Activity Sheets and the template provided. They should list the problem, key players (one per card), the
particular perspective they expect this person (or plant or animal) might have, social, cultural, economic,
and ecological interests, possible solutions, and action steps.
7. Groups can share their Conservation Challenge Cards for constructive feedback on the problem they chose
and the viability of their solution(s). Allow time for groups to revise their cards.
8. Using their Conservation Challenge Cards, each member of the group role-plays one of
the key players in a “Finding Common Ground” Debate. Allow each group 10 to 15 minutes
to state the problem and possible solution(s). Each key player in the group will have two
minutes to state the problem, his or her perspective on the problem, a solution, and one
action step. Encourage students to cite scientific research to support their perspectives.
A moderator should close each group’s argument by defining the most critical action
to be taken for each problem based on the most persuasive, well-developed, and
scientifically sound argument.
9. As a whole class, vote on the most critical conservation challenge. Defining priorities for conservation in the
temperate forests of central China is the first action step you can take toward creating a class conservation
action plan (see Module 6: What You Can Do! on p. 63).
Allow 60 –90 minutes for steps 5-9.
Module 5: Finding Common Ground/Core Activity Lesson Plan 53
Part ll: Habitat Adventure: Panda Challenge (Habitat Conservation Game)
After learning about conservation challenges and promising programs, and applying their knowledge
in the role-play and debate, students can use this knowledge as they play an interactive habitat game.
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/education/conservationcentral/challenge/
Habitat Adventure: Panda Challenge
Setting: Shen Bao Fictional Nature Reserve in a temperate forest of central China
Description: This online simulation/adventure game allows users to learn and make decisions about
habitat conservation issues drawing on the 4-Cs and current research (Core areas for Carnivores,
Corridors between the areas, and Community involvement). Each simulation includes two activities.
Simulation 1: Core areas. Goal: Select which core areas to include in the reserve, with the goal of
maximizing the well-being of people, plants, and animals within the area. Key Players: Teng (guide)
and Kang Rongbo (local farmer). Activities: Use binoculars to identify endangered animals; collect
and identify endangered plants. Duration: 10–15 minutes
Simulation 2: Carnivores. Goal: Count carnivores in reserve. Key Players: Teng and ecotourist searching
for leopard. Activities: Use camera to identify animals; match footprints to animals. Duration: 10–15 minutes
Simulation 3: Community. Goal: Find alternative eco-friendly income; see innovative conservation
programs in practice. Key players: Teng, Lang Tsu (representative, Grain for Green Program) who has
traveled to region to reward local people who use sustainable farming and other eco-friendly practices.
Activities: Sustainable mushroom collecting; bee keeping. Duration: 10–15 minutes
Simulation 4: Corridors. Goal: Compare two corridors and choose the one that benefits wildlife
the most. Key players: Teng, field biologist. Activities: Use camera trap to identify animals; use
directional microphone to identify animals from their calls. Duration: 10–15 minutes
Procedure
1. Tell students that they will engage in an online temperate-forest conservation game set in central China,
and will apply what they learned in the Finding Common Ground Conservation Challenge in Part I.
2. Organize students into cooperative groups of two or three. Group members can take turns working the mouse,
choosing options, and recording their choices in their Habitat Journals as they play the game. Allow students
10 to 15 minutes to complete each simulation.
3. As students engage in Habitat Adventure: Panda Challenge, point them to the maps, graphs, field notes,
and research links. They should compare their predictions, explanations, and understandings against current
scientific research and knowledge.
4. Focus on student choices and the decision-making process. Ask students why they made the decisions they
did and what evidence (any studies and research they can point to from their readings) they used to support
their decisions. Groups can constructively evaluate each other’s decisions and ask follow-up questions. Encourage
students to review and reflect on their decisions and allow extra time for them to re-engage in the game. After
re-visiting the readings provided in this lesson, they may re-think some of their choices and solutions.
Allow 45 minutes total for steps 1-4.
54 Module 5: Finding Common Ground/Core Activity Lesson Plan
Reflection, Discussion, and Analysis
Encourage students to write their reflections and Investigation Questions in their Habitat Journals. Have them
add to their K, W, L Chart and add it to their Action Plan Portfolio. Questions such as the following may help
guide discussion:
What are the some of the major challenges and the most promising developments in temperate
forest and giant panda conservation? How have local people participated in conservation programs?
Do you think they should play an integral role, why or why not? What action step(s) did we identify
in working toward a solution for the conservation challenge we chose? In what way did we address
the social, cultural, economic, and ecological needs of the forest community in determining a solution?
Teacher Resources — Internet and Print
•
Challenges and Promising Developments in Temperate Forest and Giant Panda Conservation (Handout 3 in Appendix p. 96)
•
Giant Pandas at the Smithsonian National Zoo
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/
INTEGRATED CONSERVATION DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS (ICDPS)
• “Panda Under a Pear Tree” (Zoogoer, January/February 2001, Special Giant Panda Issue)
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Publications/ZooGoer/2001/1/pandapeartree.cfm
•
World Wildlife Fund’s Panda Action Plan, 1996-present (see ICDPs in Wanglang Reserve)
http://www.panda.org/resources/publications/species/pandas/gp_work.htm
•
“Mountain Tourism, and the Conservation of Biological and Cultural Diversity” by Wendy Brewer Lama and Nikhat Sattar 3
http://www.mtnforum.org/resources/library/lamax02b.htm
•
Sustainable Development, Poverty, and the Environment: A Challenge to the Global Community
(presented by IUCN and WWF at World Summit on Sustainable Development)
http://www.iucn.org/wssd/files/documents/poverty.pdf
RESERVE CHALLENGES
• Ecological Degradation in Protected Areas: The Case of Wolong Nature Reserve for Giant Pandas.
Jianguo Liu, Marc Linderman, Zhiyun Ouyang, Li An, Jian Yang, and Hemin Zhang. Science Apr 6 2001: 98-101.
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/vol292/issue5514/index.shtml#reports
[Letters] The Pandas’ Habitat at Wolong Nature Reserve. Thomas Brooks, Aaron G. Bruner, Jake Brunner,
Gustavo A. B. da Fonseca, Rei Liu, Wang Sung, Xie Yan, Karen Baragona, Jianguo Liu, Marc Linderman, Zhiyun Ouyang,
and Li An. Science Jul 27 2001: 603. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/vol293/issue5530/index.shtml#editorial
•
Science Study Highlights Increasing Threats to Giant Pandas’ Survival, WWF Says
http://www.worldwildlife.org/news/headline.cfm?newsid=256
•
Looking for Answers in China’s Panda Breeding Centers (Smithsonian’s National Zoo)
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/weblet.cfm?url=/Publications/OnlineFeatures/PandaBreedingCenter2001/page1.htm
•
“A Framework for Evaluating the Effects of Human Factors on Wildlife Habitat: the Case of Giant Pandas”
by Jianguo Liu, Zhiyun Ouyang, William W. Taylor, Richard Groop, Yingchun Tan, and Heming Zhang.
Conservation Biology, pages 1360-1370, Volume 13, NO. 6, December 1999.
Module 5: Finding Common Ground/Core Activity Lesson Plan 55
Handout 1 / Module 5
People and the Forest: Historical, Social, Economic, & Ecological Perspectives
Student Overview Sheet
For thousands of years, people have depended on forests for goods and services such as timber
and paper products, and for valuable “ecosystem services” such as storing carbon dioxide,
protecting watersheds, and controlling erosion. Forests also provide recreation and jobs for
hundreds of millions of people worldwide, and they play important economic, social, and
cultural roles in the lives of many indigenous and local communities.4 Balancing the needs
of people and wildlife means finding sustainable ways to manage land and addressing such
issues as: conversion of forests to agricultural land, grazing, introduction of invasive species,
infrastructure development, mining and oil extraction, overconsumption, forest fires, pollution,
and climate change. We urgently need lasting solutions. In this exploration, as a caretaker of the
environment, you will become part of the conservation solution. Through a role-play, debate,
and an interactive habitat conservation game, you will learn about balancing the economic,
social, and cultural needs of people while conserving the Chinese temperate forest and the
species within it, including the endangered giant panda.
First, here are some questions to think about. You should also write your own Investigation Questions.
Investigation Questions
My Questions for Investigation
What are the main conservation challenges
in the Chinese temperate forest?
What challenges have reserves faced?
What challenges have giant pandas faced?
What is the 4-Cs formula for conservation?
What is promising about integrated conservation
development projects (ICDPs)?
What role do local people play in helping
conservation programs succeed or fail?
What solutions do we have for conserving this
habitat while balancing the needs of people?
What historical, social, cultural, economic, and
ecological stakes do the global community
have in conserving forest biological diversity?
56 Module 5 People and the Forest/Student Overview Sheet
Handout 1 / Module 5
People and the Forest: Historical, Social, Economic, & Ecological Perspectives
Student Overview Sheet
Check out these resources to find out more!
Challenges and Promising Developments in Temperate-Forest and Giant Panda Conservation (Handout 3)
INTEGRATED CONSERVATION DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
“Panda Under a Pear Tree” (Zoogoer, January/February 2001, Special Giant Panda Issue)
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Publications/ZooGoer/2001/1/pandapeartree.cfm
World Wildlife Fund’s Panda Action Plan, 1996-present
http://www.panda.org/resources/publications/species/pandas/gp_work.htm
Learn about ICDPs in Pingwu County’s Wanglang Reserve
Sustainable Livelihoods (IUCN)
http://www.iucn.org/wssd/files/media%20brief/mb_livelihoods.pdf
RESERVE CHALLENGES
Science Study Highlights Increasing Threats to Giant Pandas’ Survival, WWF Says
http://www.worldwildlife.org/news/headline.cfm?newsid=256
Looking for Answers in China’s Panda Breeding Center (Smithsonian’s National Zoo)
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/weblet.cfm?url=/Publications/OnlineFeatures/PandaBreedingCenter2001/page1.htm
Module 5 People and the Forest/Student Overview Sheet 57
Handout 2 / Module 5
Finding Common Ground - Student Activity Sheet
Name _________________________________________________________________________________________ Date _____________________
Class __________________________________________________________________________________________
Use this sheet to organize your ideas. This information will help you create your Conservation Challenge Cards
to use in the Finding Common Ground Debate.
Conservation Challenge:
Key Players:
Possible Solution(s):
Complicating Factors:
Possible Action Steps:
Cost-Benefit Tradeoffs:
Supporting Research:
How does your solution address the social, cultural, economic, and ecological needs of the forest community?
Conservation Challenge Card (cut out this card for role-play)
✁
Challenge:
Key Player:
Your Perspective:
Your Social, Cultural, Economic, or Ecological Interests in the Forest:
Suggested Solution:
Action Steps:
Supporting Research:
58 Module 5: Finding Common Ground - Student Activity Sheet
Handout 4 / Module 5
Conservation Challenge - Student Worksheet
We must consider many perspectives when developing conservation plans. People, animals, and plants all depend on the
health of the forest. The endangered giant panda, and other temperate-forest plants and animals, depend on the forest for
their survival. Local people, as part of the forest ecosystem, depend on it for social, cultural, and ecological values and for
their livelihoods; scientists study giant pandas and their habitat to help ensure their future in the wild; reserve managers
and staff patrol protected areas and carry out conservation goals; policy makers use scientific research findings to create
legislation to protect wildlife and wild lands; state and local governments try to balance the economic needs of local people
and the ecological needs of wildlife. As consumers and citizens of the biosphere, our needs, choices, and patterns of consumption make us an important part of this equation. We can apply our knowledge and creativity to help create solutions.
The list below includes ideas for conservation challenges in central China. Your team should choose one challenge and
the key players affected. Determine your own Investigation Questions related to this challenge. Read the Challenges and
Promising Steps handout to learn more.
Possible Conservation Challenges
Possible Key Players
Developing eco-friendly economic opportunities for locals
Ecotourism
Reserve management (wildlife and wild lands)
Human settlements in giant panda habitat; population growth
Collection of fuel-woods for cooking and heating and wild forest
products for medicine (mushrooms, roots, herbs)
Illegal trade (endangered animals, animal parts, plants)
Deforestation; loss, fragmentation of core panda habitat
Integrating conservation into land-use practices
Sustainable resource use and development practices,
worldwide consumption patterns
Monoculture tree plantations (and biodiversity loss)
Small, fragmented, hemmed-in giant panda populations
Creating panda corridors
Traditional hunting and poaching
Illegal logging
Mudslides, floods, silting of rivers, erosion,
fire (human-induced disturbances)
Effects of 1998 logging ban
Habitat restoration projects
Periodic bamboo flowering
and die-off
Forest Ecosystem Inhabitants…
Local farmer
Chinese, Baima, Hui, or Tibetan villager
Former logger
Reserve manager
Traditional hunter; poacher
Goat herder
Beekeeper
*giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)
red panda (Ailurus fulgens)
takin (Budorcas taxicolor)
clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)
Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus)
golden snub-nosed monkey (Pygathrix roxellana)
golden pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus)
ˆChinese yew (Taxus chinensis)
dove tree (Davidia involucrata)
dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)
Chinese cedar (Cryptomeria fortunei)
stinkhorn mushroom (Dictyophora indusiata)
common medicinals: Ginkgo biloba (rare)**, Panax ginseng (endangered) **,
Rosa rugosa (endangered) **, Dendrobium candidum (endangered) **
Scientists and Government Representatives...
Local governor of village in/near reserve; state official
Zoo scientist/researchers (conservation biologist, veterinarian, botanist, etc.)
Other government representatives (e.g., State Forestry Association)
Businesses, Tourists, and Consumers…
Owner of mining company, oil refinery, paper mill, or chemical plant
Foreign business with development interests
Chinese or foreign ecotourist
Chinese, Japanese, American, and European consumers
* Endemic species or sub-species, ˆ Also used to make Taxol, a cancer drug
** Source: Red Data Book of Chinese Plants
See The Threatened Wild Plants Used for Medicine as Chinese Medicinal
Herbs http://www.chinabiodiversity.com/wildlife/wildlife-index-en.htm
Module 5: Conservation Challenge - Student Worksheet 59
Additional Activities and Ongoing Assessment
Extension Activity
US Habitat Conservation Connection: North American Black Bear
Students make connections between the challenges the giant panda faces in China and similar conservation
challenges in North America by examining the black bear. “Seeking Safe Passage” (National Wildlife® magazine,
June/July 2002, pp. 18-27) discusses how wildlife corridors in Florida and California have helped connect isolated
black bear habitats, just as in the case of the giant panda in China. If you choose, use the format from the role-play
and debate. Students can consult these helpful links to learn more about black bear conservation:
North American Bear Center
http://www.bear.org/
The American Bear Association (Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary)
http://www.americanbear.org/
American Black Bear (Zoogoer)
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Publications/ZooGoer/1999/2/fact-americanblack.cfm
Wildlife Research Institute
http://www.bearstudy.org/Research/Research_Home.htm
Habitat Journal
Students can use their journals to make connections to black bear conservation in North America.
They can apply what they learned about China to examine the issue and then propose a possible list of action
steps. Students can also include any focused Investigation Questions that relate to this challenge. They can also
record their choices and reflections in their journals when playing the Habitat Adventure: Panda Challenge game.
Action Plan Portfolio
Students can add the “Conservation Challenges and Promising Steps” reading to their portfolios and keep
track of any new developments (threats or promising steps) in temperate forest and giant panda conservation.
They can also add their “Conservation Challenge” Worksheet, “Finding Common Ground” Student Activity Sheet,
and “Conservation Challenge Cards,” to their portfolios. Students may want to track a local habitat conservation
challenge (see Extension Activity) and collect related newspaper and Internet articles.
Family Learning Activity
Together, families can engage in this online, interactive Habitat Adventure: Panda Challenge. Through
this simulation they will gain first-hand knowledge of some of the challenges in temperate-forest habitat
conservation in central China. Copy the Family Learning Activity Sheet, found at the end of this module,
and send it home with students. The activity is also available in PDF format at
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/education/conservationcentral/family/.
60 Module 5 People and the Forest: Historical, Cultural, Economic, and Ecological Perspectives
Family Learning Activity: Family Computer Time
(A Walk in the Forest, Habitat Adventure: Panda Challenge,
Design a Panda Habitat)
Family time at the computer can encourage social interaction between you and your children.
Visit a local library to engage in our fun, online simulations involving real-world conservation decisions.
Through A Walk in the Forest, a virtual walk through a fictional Virginia forest,
you will use authentic scientific techniques and tools to explore the temperate forest
in North America. http://nationalzoo.si.edu/education/conservationcentral/walk/
Habitat Adventure: Panda Challenge introduces families to some of the conservation challenges in the temperate
forests of central China and involves you in making decisions to balance the needs of people, plants, animals, and
their habitats. http://nationalzoo.si.edu/education/conservationcentral/challenge/
Ideas for Engaging in Interactives with Your Children:
1. Read books or watch videos before engaging in the simulations to spark interest and build background
knowledge. Check out a giant panda or temperate forest book such as Smithsonian Book of Giant Pandas (2002).
2. Take an active role at the computer. You (as parent) may choose to read the text that appears in the program,
while your child makes the selections with the mouse. Or, encourage your child to read the text (drawing on
his/her reading skills) as you make selections with the mouse.
3. Talk with your child. Build anticipation by having your child make predictions (“What do you think will happen
when it rains after they’ve cut down all the trees?”). Remind her or him of what they already know (“Remember
we learned that animals need habitats to live? What do you think could happen if the giant panda loses its
habitat?”). Asking questions about their choices encourages reflection.
4. Encourage older siblings to help younger siblings. For example, your twelve-year-old may help walk your
five-year-old through the simulation game.
5. Follow up on other Web activities that link from simulations. For example, you can create a panda postcard
together and mail it to a relative, or create plans for a new panda habitat at the Zoo. Together, look for news
about your favorite animals and their habitats on the National Zoo’s website. http://nationalzoo.si.edu/
6. Visit the National Zoo or your local zoo to look for some of the animals from Asia and North America that
you encountered online. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C., Zoo Atlanta, Memphis Zoo,
and The San Diego Zoo have giant pandas. Look for as many temperate-forest animals as you can. Reinforce the
connection between animals and habitats by having your children point out trees and water sources that would
also be found in the animal’s habitat in the wild.
Green Tip
Get involved with a local habitat conservation issue. Contact a local nature organization to find out
how you can help conserve habitats in your community.
Module 5 Family Learning Activity: Family Computer Time 61
Notes and Reflections
62 Module 5: Notes and Reflections