Download Biodiversity and teaching - Bertrand Pajot

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Biodiversity and teaching
Biodiversity and eTwinning
projects
24-27 november 2011
Kleitoria
Greece
A paradoxically recent concept!
 Origin of the concept:
 Born around the 80’s in a report about the biological
diversity biology and then in a E.O. Wilson’s book
 Used since in a huge number of international
conferences led by the UN, the EU or the IUCN, like
Osaka in 2010
What’s biodiversity ?
 Biodiversity is at the same time
 The ecosystem diversity,
 The species diversity
 The genetic diversity inside the
species.
 And must be consider both at the
structural and functional level
The limits of the concept
 The main limit is the definition of the biological
species.
 You must see biodiversity as a dynamic concept, the
allelic variety inside the species, as the species in
the ecosystem or the ecosystems of the world
changing with time.
 So Linné’s biodiversity is not Darwin’s one !!
Another view on evolution
 Today’s biodiversity is at the same time the product, a
transitional state and the substrate of the future evolution
(evolution potential)
 Biodiversity must be so studied (and taught) in an
evolutionist rationale.
 spaces and times of biodiversity
 Biodiversity must be consider at different scales of time and
spaces.
 Past biodiversities are interesting subjects.
How to appraise biodiversity ?
A theorical and practical hard work…
 Using many different technical manners (from on field
systematic to bar coding)
 In more complex and uneasy to reach ecosystems (ocean
bottoms, undergrounds, etc)
 For more and smaller organisms !
How to appraise biodiversity ?
How to appraise biodiversity ?
How to appraise biodiversity ?
How appraise biodiversity ?
Hot spot of biodiversity
Past biodiversity
 Past biodiversity could be
estimated:
 By fossil’s study
 But with some bias…:
 Fossils’ scarcity
 More abundant and time stable
groups are over accounted
 Every thing have not been found…
 By studies in molecular genetic
(allowing a phylogenic approach))
Why be interested in biodiversity ?
 For its scientific interest
 To get a better understanding of evolution’s
mechanisms.
 To speak about mankind…
 For utilitarian reasons (about energy, food,
health,
 For aesthetic, ethic and moral reasons
 Because of the actual decline of biodiversity
 To care about our “space ship Earth” fellows ….
Biodiversity’s values
An very topical scientific and philosophical debate
And which identify for biodiversity
 Economic values
 Cultural values
 Ethical values
The ecosystems and biodiversity’s
utilities
The economic values:
 Production’s services: food, water, genetic resources, clothes,
energies, drugs, etc..
 Support’s services: all that is necessary for the operation of all
Earth’s ecosystems (soils formation, dioxygene production,
water and chemical elements cycles, etc..
 Control services : regulation in the ecosystem , climatic
regulation, illness control
 Cultural values (non material earnings ) :
 Aesthetic experiences
 Cultural development (myths et legends, literature, arts, etc..)
 Intellectual development
 Social links
 Leisure
 etc.
Ethical values:
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Mankind belong to nature which impose to every people an ecological
responsibility about his generation and the future generation.
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Every species get the right to exist and the ecological processes which
insure the biosphere integrity and its diversity components must be
maintained
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Diversity of ethical and cultural point of view must be encouraged
promoting relationships which respects and reinforces the life ‘s diversity
, regardless from politic, economic or religious ideology displayed in a
particular society.
(from « An ethical basis for conserving biological diversity », UICN 1990)
Why teach biodiversity ?
 An huge scientific subject
 Ex: quantifying biodiversity, describing it…
 A true pedagogical subject
 For its systematical approach
 for the different sort of the projects and activities to
do
 For the competences managed by the pupils
 For the 21st century’s citizen education
A true pedagogical subject
 For its systematical approach:
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In, cross, and beyond subjects topics
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To manage in space and time
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With different points of view, questions and analysis.
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And all along pupils’ schooling
A true pedagogical subject
 for the different sort of the projects and activities to do
 Personal and/or group works
 Inside and/or outside the school
 In partnership with scientific structures or associations
 Enrolled in a project approach
A true pedagogical subject
 For the competences managed by the pupils
 A true work on competences (knowledge, capacities,
behaviours)
 All the European framework of competences can be
practised and in particular social and civics
competences, as well as ICT competences.
 At each level of pupils' schooling
How to teach biodiversity ?
 Just a glance in Europe…
 Biodiversity is near always embedded in the curricula
 But with different goals and ways of implementation
 And not in all it components ??
 Local and global, past, present and future: essential
dimensions ?
 Every project on biodiversity should (must ?) consider
these dimensions
How to teach biodiversity?
 The role of the teacher: professor, organizer, animator ?
 The “leader of the project”, present from its beginning until
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the end !
Determining all these contents, components , limits .
Identifying the competences to implement, work and assess.
Planning the partnership with scientific institutions
Teaching that must be do !
eTwinning and biodiversity
 One example of “citizen science”
 To allow a better understanding of biodiversity and all its
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components
To show the European’s biodiversity richness and share it
To compare, exchange studies and analyses
To illustrate the cultural and pedagogical approaches
To have strong partnerships with scientist or schools
To explore pupils’ competences in a different way
To build Europe on new values...
To make you want to go further…
Ressources
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Bibiography:
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E.O.Wilson (1992) The Diversity of Life, Belknap Press of Harvard
University Press, Cambridge.
Marjorie L. Reaka-Kudla, Don E. Wilson, and Edward O. Wilson (1997)
Biodiversity II Understanding and Protecting Our Biological
Resources, Joseph Henry Press.
Web sites:
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Millenium ecosystem assesment :
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Man and biosphere program
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http://www.greenfacts.org/en/index.htm
IUNC web site
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http://www.unesco.org/new/en/naturalsciences/environment/ecological-sciences/man-and-biosphereprogramme/
Green facts:
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http://www.maweb.org/en/index.aspx
:http://www.iucn.org/what/tpas/biodiversity/
Biodiversity’s hot spot:
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http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/
Thanks for your attention
Cretzschmar’s Bunting: an example of
biodiversity to watch around Kleitoria ?
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