#577: Natural History Reading List #25: 'How to read a Tree'

Another really useful book by navigation expert Tristan Gooley.

I have a signed copy of his previous book: 'The Natural Explorer'

This book explores what a tree can tell us about the landscape. It says a great deal about the value of trees and how they interact with the soil, atmosphere, weather and biodiversity. They influence the drainage and fertility of the soil, and can also tell us a lot about where we are, and how the landscape is changing.

The loss of a tree can touch millions, as we saw with the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree.

It would make a useful book to add to the library for those who are considering work in local woodlands for fieldwork. We are still waiting to see to what extent woodlands are featured in the final specification.

My thinking would be that the final specification would involve students investigating a range of ecosystems and the value of a tree is something which students should certainly be asked to consider, perhaps when thinking about the wider 'value' of nature in our lives and landscapes.

Published by Hodder Press

Paperback, 320pp

ISBN: 978-1529339628

#556: RSPB - a fieldtrip option, and citizen science opportunity

The RSPB is one of the supporters of the new GCSE in Natural History. 

A list has been blogged previously showing the original supporting organisations. 

The connections which are made clear when the draft subject content emerges for consultation will be helpful in providing a steer for the approach that has been taken.

There are quite a few RSPB reserves around the country.

It is one of the largest conservation organisations in the country, and has many members. They have also been particularly critical in the last six months of changes in government policy around planning, which was a rare foray into this sort of campaigning work.

They also have a role in education, and could well provide a useful option for schools needing local fieldwork opportunities, or training, or perhaps to provide a role for certain students. 

There may well be some ornithological experts amongst the student body of any school - although the Merlin ID app is a useful alternative to actually recognising bird song.

RSPB reserves welcome visitors of course, and they also have an Educational 

The RSPB website is here.

RSPB members can access reserves and car parks. It is a good value membership given the number of reserves that can be visited.

#476: Why is environmentalism failing?

The three main approaches to environmentalism - the technological, the cognitive, and the behavioural - are failing. A fourth approach is, however, emerging. In this talk, Morgan Phillips looks at environmentalism through the lens of individualism. 

He explores why efforts to tackle the climate and nature crisis, might need to root themselves in efforts to counter the 'hyper' version of individualism that now prevails. This is what the emergent fourth approach to environmentalism is starting to do. It is part of a wider, and growing, Movement for Interdependence. 

Dr Morgan Phillips is Director of Education and Youth Engagement at the environmental charity Global Action Plan. He also volunteers at The Glacier Trust, sits on the education committee for Black Mountains College, and is a governor at New Quay Primary School in west Wales. Morgan has held trustee and adviser roles for various organisations including the National Association of Environmental Education UK, Green Schools Project, Solutions for the Planet, and WWF-UK. Previously, Morgan ran the Eco-Schools programme in England, led an intercultural understanding charity, Global Footsteps, lectured on the politics of climate change at Brunel University, volunteered with the Common Cause Foundation, and served as co-director for Nepal-focussed climate change adaptation charity, The Glacier Trust. 

This talk was recorded as part of TEDxAberystwyth, learn more at: https://tedxaberystwyth.com/ This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

#431: Earthrise

This photograph could be said to have kick started the environmental movement. Connects with a fairly recent post #372.

It was first seen in a special issue of the New York Times.

It was taken by NASA astronaut: William Anders using a Hasselblad camera during the Apollo 

This was the first mission to take a manned vehicle around the 'dark side' of the moon.

The original photo had the moon vertically in the frame, and has been cropped and rotated for impact. I have copies on postcards but it has been used numerous times.

William Anders sadly died in 2024 reducing the number of people still alive who have actually stood on the moon, or were part of the original NASA Apollo missions.

#350: GCSE Natural History and the election - still waiting.

The status of the qualification is now in limbo as a result of the general election and a change of government.

I've already blogged about the possible impact of this earlier on this GCSE Natural History blog.

What did the political parties have to say on the matter of nature and natural history? There was little in the manifestos to link to the climate emergency or protecting biodiversity.

The new Environmental Secretary talked about the terrible state that some of our environment is in, and water companies have been fined for polluting the rivers - a starting point, assuming the fines come out of dividends for shareholders rather than being passed on to customers.

Will Labour continue with the GCSE Natural History project as part of their look at the curriculum?

There are a lot of unknowns here. Caroline Lucas, who was a big supporter, stepped down as an MP.

Image: Alan Parkinson, shared on Flickr under CC license.

#262: Carbon Footprints

An interesting analysis from OFQUAL of the carbon footprint of sitting a GCSE.

If we have a new GCSE in Natural History does that mean that it is actually increasing the carbon footprint of anyone who takes it? Interesting to discuss.

It's worth remembering that the use of the term was particularly developed by the oil company BP, and could be thought of as a way to deflect the blame away from fossil fuel companies and place it onto us...

See this Mashable article for more on this.

#258: The Big Plastic Count - starts tomorrow

Citizen Science projects are a good thing to connect students with as the specification is revealed and the content is built around it.

Plastic is a pervasive element of all natural environments, and has negative impacts on natural history - in particular by affecting wildlife which ingests it, or can be affected by its existence.

This starts tomorrow. 

Sign up and get your survey recording form to stick by the bin.

It's the counting that counts.

#165: Politics

It's going to be interesting to see the political dimensions of the new curriculum and how particular topics are framed, and guidance given to teachers in terms of how they approach the teaching of particular areas of Natural History linked with the management of landscapes and environments. 

At the moment, the ideas and results of the original consultation are sitting with an Education Minister who has not responded in enough time to keep to the original timetable for first teaching from 2025.

A group of people as yet unknown have been working on draft subject criteria for the new specification which are long awaited, and there is no sign as yet of when we might expect some sort of action with few updates being provided despite the need to get cracking if all the support material that is needed to teach an entire specification is going to be produced in anything less than a great big rush.

One can imagine the ministers who see the document wanting to ensure that particular elements of the course are looked at for their potential political implications. The particular dogma that political parties in government follow are not always sympathetic to the environment. We have also seen lots of broken promises on the benefits of Brexit for farmers, none of which have been seen, and the end result has been a lot of food producers going out of business or deciding to sell up due to the economics of farming. It would be difficult to teach some of the proposed topics without referencing a lack of action, removal of funding or some other outcome which is the result of years of the same party in Government.

The Government has made a number of decisions on topics which will have a direct impact on the economy, including the use of chemicals which are harmful to bees in order to protect sugar beet crops.

They appointed Therese Coffey to the vital role of Environment Secretary. She has little understanding of the key topics such as nutrient neutrality. Her recent comments on the impacts of Storm Ciaran and the fact that the wind was coming from an unfamiliar direction drew rightful criticism. The state of our rivers, including local chalk streams has also been the subject of campaigning by Feargal Sharkey and others. Protections are being removed and legislation watered down. None of this is in doubt. The Government also recently said that species reintroductions were not a priority.

“The UK is officially cited as one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. A major study recently found that a shocking one in six species is now at risk of extinction – and the huge decline in abundance of most species bodes very badly for us all – whether through the lack of pollinators for crops or thriving habitats to filter water and store carbon. Nature’s buzz and song is disappearing from our lives and so are the huge range of other benefits that nature brings us. The UK Government has recognised the need for urgent action and it has made big commitments – but has failed to keep them. That’s why we’re publishing a list of this Government’s broken promises – it’s a wake-up call to us all.”

Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts

The Wildlife Trusts website features ten broken promises. Many of them are directly relevant to the GCSE Natural History development in some way.

Today, The Wildlife Trusts publish a list of 10 broken promises by the UK Government on nature and our environment.

We hope next week’s #kingsspeech will signal a better future for the UK’s struggling natural environment.

Read more 📜👉https://t.co/t2MuwS4UBF

— The Wildlife Trusts (@WildlifeTrusts) November 3, 2023

The ninth of these references the Natural History GCSE directly:

#75: New BSL signs for environmental terms

An interesting story in The Guardian.

This would be an interesting context for an activity, particularly if there was a chance to pair up with a school locally which was providing specialist teaching for hearing impaired students.

Scientists and BSL users from the Royal Society and Scottish Sensory Centre worked together to create signs for common environmental terms. The first 200 signs were themed around biodiversity, ecosystems, pollution and the physical environment.

To sign “greenhouse gases”, for example, BSL users are told to gesture with “both hands in circular shapes [to] represent gases, then put the left hand at the horizontal position and move the right hand, with the index finger pointing, down and back up to the left hand to show the sunlight reflecting on Earth’s surface”.

A full list of terms and subjects can be seen here. The initiative has won a number of awards.

The symbol for albedo is a good example of how the sign links to the term itself.

You can also see the specific geography terms and perhaps use them for an activity - how about a BSL club at school if a colleague has some skills. I did a BSL course some years ago and have a book and other notes from the course, but am very rusty now.