LEARNZ and Sustainable Seas ran a successful field trip in Seaweek 2018 in Tasman Bay. They are revisiting this field trip for Seaweek 2019. It will follow the same format but will include new experiments and research from the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge research programme.
On this field trip during Seaweek 2019, your students will tackle a major New Zealand problem: the conflict between the many uses of our marine environment.
We are an island nation with very close ties to the marine environment. Our marine estate (New Zealand's exclusive economic zone or EEZ) is 20 times larger than our land mass. 75% of us live within 10km of the sea. We value the sea for its resources such as fisheries, tourism, oil and gas and shipping. We also value the sea for food, recreation and spiritual well being. Māori have long standing ancestral and other connections with the sea.
There is a growing conflict between these many uses of our marine environment. How can we manage these many uses? How can we meet the needs of Māori, local communities and industry? How do we make sure that our seas are understood, cared for and used wisely now and in the future? How can we grow a successful and sustainable marine economy?
On this field trip you will travel to Tasman Bay at the top of the South Island. Here you will join researchers who are developing new tools and knowledge to help everyone manage the marine environment. You will learn about ecosystem based management.
To prepare for this field trip, LEARNZ content will support inquiry into:
- our marine environment ecosystems
- different types of marine ecosystems
- what marine ecosystems do for humans and the environment (ecosystem services)
- cultural, spiritual, economic and environmental values
- our marine environment under stress
- ecosystem-based management (EBM)
- our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi
- the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge
During this field trip you will:
- follow tweets from Shelley the LEARNZ field trip teacher
- travel to Tasman Bay in the Tasman District
- help scientists test a new digital tool which tracks how far plastics travel when they end up in the sea
- take a boat ride with researchers
- work with scientists to design experiments
- use instruments and technology to measure our marine environment
- investigate marine ecosystem services such as providing food, and removing pollutants
- meet and question researchers involved in the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge
- follow what's happening on the website and on twitter at #learnztrip
Learning areas/levels
Science: Living World Levels 2-4, Nature of Science Levels 2-6
Social Studies: Place and Environment Levels 2-4
For more information about this field trip and to register, please visit: http://rata.learnz.org.nz/summary.php?vft=sustainableseas191
Related content
To enrich learning before or after the field trip, use some of our Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge resources, including the activities Modelling marine stressors and tipping points and Environmental thinking and planning with ecosystem-based management (EBM).
