Session 1: Is Our Planet Healthy?
Start thinking: Which place looks the healthiest? Why?
A
B
C
D
We can't tell just by looking at an image!
Our brains often confuse ‘clean’ with ‘healthy’.
In nature, healthy places are often noisy and muddy, full of insects, fungi and even dead things.
Today’s Big Question:
What does a healthy planet actually
look like and how do we know if it's thriving or under stress?
PATHWAY 1
Life is Rotten
10 mins
What does a healthy planet actually look like and how do we know if it's thriving or under stress?
PATHWAY 2
The Buzz of Life
10 mins
z
Finished? Complete the Sustainability Crossword
Ecosystem Emergency!
In teams, investigate why your ecosystem is beginning
to fail. Write these steps down:
Step 1:
What happened?
Describe the problem
Step 2:
What happens next?
Create a chain reaction with 5 or more steps
Step 3:
Why does this make the planet less healthy?
Use your new vocabulary when possible
Step 4:
What could humans do to help?
Describe your solution
1: What happened? The vultures are gone. Nothing is left to clean up the dead. Across the ecosystem, carcasses are piling up in the heat and the animals that once relied on nature's clean-up crew are nowhere to be seen.
2: What happens next? No vultures means that dead animals remain. Disease then spreads so animals become sick. This affects food chains, meaning that the ecosystem could collapse.
3: Why does this make the planet less healthy? Losing scavengers disrupts nutrient cycling and damages food webs. Uncleaned carcasses breed bacteria, spreading disease and dropping biodiversity, which weakens the whole ecosystem.
4: What could humans do? Ban toxic chemicals: outlaw veterinary drugs that poison scavengers when they eat dead livestock. Build safe haven zones: set up protected feeding stations and breeding programs to rebuild vulture populations.
Scenario 1 (Example): All the vultures have disappeared
Scenarios
Group 1: Most of the bees disappear
Group 2: An invasive species arrives
Group 3: Soil fungi are destroyed
Group 4: Pesticides build in the food chain
Flowers go unpollinated so many plants struggle to reproduce. Without pollination, the knock-on effects start to ripple through the whole ecosystem.
The new species has no natural predators and out-competes native plants that other organisms depend on. The balance of the ecosystem starts to tip.
Dead leaves, wood and remains can’t break down and the underground network feeding nutrients to plants has stopped. The soil begins to lock up.
Each animal eating contaminated prey takes on more, so the higher up the chain you go, the more concentrated it becomes. The top predators are now in trouble.
Extra details
For your scenario, explain:
What do all of the scenarios have in common?
You might have said:
Everything in nature is connected |
Removing one species affects many others |
Biodiversity makes ecosystems resilient |
A healthy planet depends on many organisms working together |
WE HAVE COVERED:
Learner Journal
Part 1: Three Things I Learnt Today
Open your Learner Journal. Write down three things you learnt. These can be facts, ideas, or things that surprised you.
What's the most surprising thing you discovered about how living systems work today?
Write your response in your Learner Journal, then finish sections 3-5.
Learner Journal
Part 2: Reflective Question
“Every creature has a purpose in the ecosystem, whether it's building soil, pollinating plants, or keeping other populations in balance.” Dr. Jane Goodall (2018)
Biodiversity is the engine of life. Every process, from pollination to scavenging, is connected. When we pull out even a single thread, the strength of the whole system fails.
Lock-In Quote
Extension Activities
Extension 1
Extension 2
Night-Time Raiders
Honey Hunters