S3.2.8 For the adult

People and ecosystems

Can one person really change a whole forest, or a river?

What this chapter teaches

People change ecosystems by farming, cutting trees and polluting. Each change affects food webs: fewer kinds of plant, fewer producers, or poisoned water. Small, planned actions can help a local place.

Three questions to ask

There is no one right wording. Listen for the idea.

  1. What changes when a forest is cut down?
  2. Why might a farm hold fewer kinds of living thing than a meadow?
  3. What small action could you do near home?

After the chapter, the learner can

  • Explain how farming, cutting trees and pollution change ecosystems
  • Plan a small action to protect an ecosystem near you

What they copy into their notebook

Farming, cutting trees and pollution change ecosystems. Fewer kinds of plant mean fewer kinds of animal. Plan a small action: a problem, an action, helpers, and a check.

Back to the chapter