City Planning For Biodiversity And Our Future

Overview

Challenge your students to take on the role of city planner by understanding the importance of biodiversity. Having a large number of different species in an urban area is important—not just for those species, but for humans as well. Green spaces and natural areas where wildlife can thrive in a city environment have a number of benefits that can result in cleaner air, cleaner water and a greater well-being for all the organisms that live there. In this lesson, students will define biodiversity and brainstorm how cities can have an impact on the biodiversity in a particular area. They will then calculate a biodiversity index and discover why a high biodiversity index is important for an ecosystem. Finally, they will take on the role of city planners to create and present a unique model of a city that that is laid out in a manner that meets the needs of people and encourages biodiversity in each of the required zoning areas—residential, commercial and industrial.