Ecosystem goods and services

Environmental Science 11

Big Idea

• Complex roles and relationships contribute to diversity of ecosystems.
• Human practices affect the sustainability of ecosystems.
• Humans can play a role in stewardship and restoration of ecosystems.

Content

• Benefits of ecosystem services
• Human actions and their impact on ecosystem integrity
• Resource stewardship
• Restoration practices

Curricular competencies

Questioning and predicting

• Demonstrate a sustained intellectual curiosity about a scientific topic or problem of personal, local, or global interest
• Formulate multiple hypotheses and predict multiple outcomes

Processing and analyzing data and information

• Experience and interpret the local environment
• Construct, analyze, and interpret graphs, models, and/or diagrams
• Use knowledge of scientific concepts to draw conclusions that are consistent with evidence
• Analyze cause-and-effect relationships

Evaluating

• Consider social, ethical, and environmental implications of the findings from their own and others’ investigations

Applying and innovating

• Contribute to finding solutions to problems at a local and/or global level through inquiry

Communicating

• Communicate scientific ideas and information, and perhaps a suggested course of action, for a specific purpose and audience, constructing evidence-based arguments and using appropriate scientific language, conventions, and representations
• Express and reflect on a variety of experiences, perspectives, and worldviews through place

Environmental Science 12

Big Idea

• Human actions affect the quality of water and its ability to sustain life.
• Sustainable land use is essential to meet the needs of a growing population.

Content

• Soil characteristics and ecosystem services
• Land management

These activities draws upon ideas and research presented by Statistics Canada and Environment Canada in the report “Measuring ecosystem goods and services in Canada - Human Activity and the Environment 2013.” More information about the types of ecosystem goods and services can be found in the report.

Assess your students’ ability to:

• Use scientific concepts and terminology in discussions.
• Accurately categorize ecosystem goods and services.
• Effectively use monetary and non-monetary measures to describe the value of EGS.
• Effectively use monetary and non-monetary measures to describe the impacts of human actions on the value of EGS.

• The three activities can be adapted for use during outdoor field trips and nature walks in local ecosystems.