Biodiversity is a buzz word that receives a lot of attention in both the scientific and public communities. The term ‘biodiversity’ makes you think about the tropical rainforests …not about Scotland! But Scotland has a lot to offer in terms of biodiversity and things have changed a lot in this little country. In order to help people connect with biodiversity change I think thinking about it in your back yard is the perfect way to facilitate this. This page is designed to help teach Primary 7’s about Biodiversity but the material can easily be modified for other years and the concepts are valuable to think about at any age!

The structure would be to have three lessons: past, present and future. Within these lessons it is important to highlight the recurring theme of habitat destruction and biodiversity loss while showing the children that through time things have changed in Scotland because of our influence. For example, species that were specialised to Scotland’s habitats in prehistoric times are now unable to survive here due to human influence and population growth.