#520: Knepp Wilding

There will be a lot of organisations that schools will look to connect with to make use of their expertise. We will feature some of them on the blog.

Here are some of their projects: 

The White Stork Project's live stork nest camera at Knepp went online this week and here's a screenshot from this morning! Observe a beautiful pair of storks in real-time, who have successfully raised young in this nest for the past two years: https://t.co/yryORjGX35 #Knepp pic.twitter.com/OKw0PFuqOi

— Knepp Wilding (@KneppWilding) March 9, 2024

The beaver wetlands at Knepp have come into their own during this rainy spring 🌧️#Rewilding Manager @SaraKingUK recently took these photos that show how much water they're holding, mitigating flooding while creating a diversity of habitats that support a mass of nature. pic.twitter.com/ymC8YOIp27

— Rewilding Britain (@RewildingB) April 5, 2024

#290: British Ecological Society

The British Ecological Society is one of the organisations which students may be introduced to.

The BES has an educational section of its website of course called 'Learning and Resources'.

This includes a range of useful materials.

We will add this to our list of relevant organisations that teachers may engage with.

Ecology will be a big part of the final specification.

#272: Mammal Mapper

The Mammal Mapper website is produced by the Mammal Society.

There are some useful videos to go alongside the app.

This would make a good opportunity to get involved in citizen science.

#254: BASC: the British Association for Shooting and Conservation

When considering a specification on Natural History, an organisation which has the word "shooting" in its name may not seem like the obvious match. A friend worked for BASC many years ago, and explained how this might not seem such a problematic connection.

BASC: the British Association for Shooting and Conservation has a website which outlines their work.

BASC's Curtis Mossop explores the need for a GCSE in Natural History. BASC has been a supporter of the new qualification.

Part of this would be to have a space in the curriculum for considering the need for shooting.

As BASC says:

When you consider that shooting is involved in the management of two-thirds of the rural land area in the UK, we believe that land management activities need to be considered, and ultimately included, in the development of this new qualification.

BASC’s response to this consultation focused on fair representation of shooting and its associated land management practices. We encourage students to think holistically but also challenge their own moral compass: “Is killing one species to save another okay?”.

We know this to be sound and scientifically proven. We have seen examples of this in nature like the curlew coming back from the brink of extinction. But would a teenager who has never visited the countryside understand this concept?

It will be interesting to see whether the final document offers opportunity for a nuanced look at alternative methods of countryside management.

#245: Butterflies

Butterflies are an important element of our lives - flitting in and out of them at times, and with a strength that belies their apparent fragility and ephemeral nature.

Happy New Year! Butterflies and moths are often seen as a symbol of hope and new beginnings 🦋

Keep an eye out for these species in your gardens and local green spaces this month, and let us know what you see. 👀 #SaveButterflies #MothsMatter pic.twitter.com/EnlUHAOBB1

— Butterfly Conservation (@savebutterflies) January 1, 2024

Image: Butterfly on Buddleia - Alan Parkinson - shared under CC license 

#241: CLA

The CLA is the Country Land and Business Owners' Association. Their mission is to champion the rural economy, environment and way of life.

Their website provides a number of resources which may be of interest to those preparing materials for teaching the GCSE Natural History - particularly where they are considering the landscape and land use.

Check out the Rural Powerhouse campaign.

#223: Forestry and Land Scotland

Forestry and Land Scotland is an organisation which has a broad remit, and manages land in Scotland. They have a LEARN section on their website, which contains some useful resources which may well be of value for those teaching the new specification.

These include the following:

- an ID guide to help identify Scotland's tree species

- the lifcycle of a piece of wood from seedling to finished product - exploring the various products from forestry may be relevant

- Scotland's heritage

- activity sheets

There's also a Future Forest podcast.

#210: Mammal Society

The Mammal Society has a useful website for those exploring the UK's mammals and wanting to know more.

There are around 90 native UK mammal species and a list can be found on the website.

There are some useful technical terms here to become familiar with, linked to orders of species of mammals (remember the taxonomy that we mentioned in a previous blog post and which students will need to become familiar with).

Eulipotyphla (Insectivores)

Lagomorpha (Rabbits and hares)
Rodentia (Rodents)
Carnivora (Carnivores)

Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)

Perrisodactyla (odd-toed ungulates)
Marsupial - can anyone guess the only marsupial on the list of UK mammals?
Chiroptera (Bats)
Pinnipedia (Seals)
Cetacea (Whales, dolphins and porpoises inc. vagrants)

there are a few words to learn here, and also the difference between even and odd-toed ungulates. The former being the deer family.

I picked up a recent story through their Instagram account on the importance of hibernation to mammal species in helping them to overcome changes to climate.

They have a 'Whose Poo?' page which helps you identify animals from their droppings / faeces / spraints etc.

They have a useful Mammals Hub, which includes details on all the UK's native mammals as well. Plenty of educational interest as well as a range of blogs.

Membership costs £60 for the year and comes with a range of benefits.

They also have an app which I shall blog about separately called 'Mammal Mapper'.

#192: CEH: Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

The UK's Centre for Ecology and Hydrology has been around for decades. 

I remember their work when completing my degree.

The UKCEH Countryside Survey has collected data for more than 40 years to show how our water, land and air, and the animals and plants that depend on them, are changing over time.

Data from nature, for nature 💚

See more: https://t.co/VXjZZE4IL9#DataNature @AngusGarbutt pic.twitter.com/vA1yUlaL6u

— UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (@UK_CEH) November 25, 2023

In addition to their datasets, I had a look for other material that might be of use for the new GCSE Natural History potentially.

The site has a section entitled 'Factsheets'.

There is one on Saltmarshes and one on Peatland.

 

#146: Wildlife and Countryside Link

The Wildlife and Countyside Link is a website which draws together a growing number of wildlife organisations. There are 80 organisations at the time of posting... which as you can see is an increase on when I took the original screenshot below...

There is likely to be a focus on wildlife in the new specification, and the work that they do. 

Many of these organisations have also previously expressed support for the GCSE Natural History.

Wildlife and Countryside Link's members are here and there is an overlap with the supporters information on the OCR Hub.

A report is also mentioned on the home page currently as part of a campaign.

New analysis suggests that without major change the Government will miss its landmark pledge to protect 30% of the land and sea for nature.

Three years after the pledge was made (28 September 2020), the charities say Government has made:

1. No progress in protecting more of the land and sea for nature
2. No progress in improving the condition of existing protected sites
3. No progress in policy changes needed to support future improvements

Almost three-quarters of Brits (73%) do not have confidence that the government will meet its commitment to meet 30x30 or its target to stop the decline of wildlife (73%).

The page currently has a header describing the new Nature2030 Campaign.