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Humans Have Destroyed 83% of Wild Mammals

Provided by: The Guardian |Published on: April 27, 2021

Articles/Websites Grades 9-12, ap-college

Synopsis

This powerful article describes the huge impact that humans have had on global biodiversity in recent history.
The results are striking and the infographics that accompany the article help illustrate the massive declines in wild mammals, marine mammals, wild birds, and plants.

Subjects: Biology

Authors: Damian Carrington

Region: Global

Languages: English

Positives

The graphics are very useful in understanding and visualizing the data.
It may prompt students think about ethics, sustainability, and the rights of other species to exist.

Additional Prerequisites

It might be helpful to use pie charts to show students the distribution of biomass for mammals (humans, livestock, and wild animals) and birds (wild vs. livestock).
Some students may be saddened by the incredible loss of wild animals, so be prepared to support those emotions.

Differentiation

History and social studies classes could use this article to discuss how the Industrial Revolution, industrialized agriculture, the development of Germ Theory, or advancements made in the 20th century that changed our relationship with nature.
Science and biology classes could use this resource when discussing nutrient cycling, ecosystems, land use, agriculture, deforestation, and mass extinction events.
Math classes could use the data from this article to develop their own graphs or charts to display the information.
Other resources on this topic include Are We Living in the Sixth Extinction?, Biodiversity and Humans, this interactive data resource about agriculture, and this Khan Academy video about biodiversity and extinction.

Scientist Notes

Teaching Tips

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Resource Type and Format