This lesson suits Year 9-10 students within the Geography curriculum.

Students will examine infrared heat maps to determine why some areas in a city are hotter than others. They will learn about climate resilience and investigate how cities respond to the impacts of human activities on the environment and different biomes. Students are introduced to nature-based solutions (NbS) and the importance of biodiversity in cities, not just ‘green’. Students will identify a local space that could benefit from an NbS plan, making sure to include First Nations perspectives, knowledge, and experiences in their proposals.

Learning intentions:

Students will:

• investigate the loss of biodiversity in cities and appreciate the role of cities in addressing the biodiversity extinction crisis
• explore examples of revegetation/urban landscaping projects that incorporate biodiversity and First Nations values in cities
• investigate how incorporating First Nations knowledge, perspectives, and culturally significant species can also give these plantings cultural value.

Success criteria:

Students can:

• describe how green spaces improve urban environments and can enrich biodiversity and have cultural value
• propose a local revegetation project using native plant species that would reduce urban heat, enrich biodiversity and incorporate culturally significant plants.

This lesson was created in collaboration with Cool.org as part of the Biodiversity in Action education resources, which are hosted on their website.