Lesson: Replicating the Marine Protected Area (MPA) process in the classroom
Explore Activity: Stakeholder Roleplay Time: 40 minutes
Goal: Students will experience firsthand the difficulties associated with getting support from diverse stake- holders when planning an MPA. 1. Distribute position cards (see Appendix B) randomly to all students. If there are not enough cards for all students, they may repeat cards, or the class may be broken into smaller working groups so each student has their own position card.
2. Explain to students that they are going to model the process of establishing a new MPA in their commu- nity. Give each student a few minutes to read over their card and get acquainted with the point of view of their assigned stakeholder (five minutes).
3. Once students are acquainted with their cards, they should assume the perspective of their assigned stakeholder. Students should use the priorities listed on the cards to contribute to the group discussion (20 minutes).
4. Group discussion questions: • Scientists, begin by explaining why you want to establish an MPA in your region. Other stakeholders, respond to others’ ideas using the priorities listed on your position card. Everyone should try to work together to reach a solution that works for all, if possible.
• If the group had to decide, what would be the top three priorities for your MPA?
• This is open to students’ interpretation, but here are some questions you can ask as prompts: •
Size: How large will your MPA be? (Remember, money and enforcement are often limit- ing factors of MPA size, as is stakeholder pressure to not fence off all the local fishing/ recreation area from human use.)
• Take: Will it be no-take/no human use allowed, or do they want recreational activities to take place to encourage tourism? Are there any tradeoffs in allowing people into the MPA that may harm attendant species?
• Species: Are there any priority species they are trying to protect?
• Habitat: Which marine habitat(s) will they focus on protecting? Are they going to try to preserve one habitat in its entirety, or preserve a little bit of each?
• Were you able to agree on a plan to protect the habitat that made everyone in your group happy? Why or why not?
5. Class debrief (15 minutes): Review the discussion questions with the whole class, asking groups to share any thoughts they had about the group discussion questions.
Extend Activity: Protect That Species! Time: Two hours (can be broken into two or three class periods)
Goal: Students will begin to realize that there are many aspects to take into account when designing an MPA, that each species has different needs and threats, and that it is often difficult to design the “perfect” MPA to protect multiple species.
Part 1: Bioregion research (one hour) 1. Ask each student to choose a bio-region from the list below (Appendix A). Ensure that there are at least two–four students who have chosen species from a given region; this will be important for group work later in the activity.
2. Independently (in class or as homework, though each student should conduct their own investigation), students will research a species of interest from their chosen bioregion and begin to identify two–three threats and two–three suggested strategies to mitigate the threats for that species (~one hour; more time can be given in class or students can finish at home if needed). a. Students will research the species’ needs (e.g., habitat, migratory behavior, social patterns, diet) and main conservation threats (e.g., overfishing, marine debris, pollution, predation). Then, they will write a ~three–five-page summary utilizing their new knowledge to propose how to best protect the species. Their proposals for protection may include MPAs as well as other strategies, such as pollution reduction or sustainable fisheries management. They may also propose a combination of strategies. Their proposal should include reasoning behind the chosen strategies, linking back to specific aspects of their species’ life history. Students’ summaries should answer the following questions:
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