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Elephant-Friendly Shopping
Inquiry Activity A learning activity by Tom J. McConnell, In both Africa and Asia, one of the biggest threats to the survival of elephants in the wild is connected to human-elephant conflicts. Both humans and elephants need space to live, and as human populations grow, more land is needed to grow the foods we eat.
Elephants need food, too, and when humans and elephants share a territory, or live close to each other, elephants sometimes eat the crops that farmers plant, creating a conflict. When this problem gets severe, people in the farming communities sometimes choose to kill elephants. In this activity, you'll learn how YOUR choices in foods you buy just might be able to help reduce those conflicts, and help protect wild elephants! Grade Level: 2-12
Timeline: 1-2 class periods Objectives:
Reducing Human-Wildlife Conflict
Elephants are not the only group of animals that sometimes raid crops for food. Monkeys, large grazers like deer and antelope, and smaller animals like squirrels and raccoons sometimes become pests, and that can cause conflict. Two main approaches can help reduce the conflict: 1) Leaving more space for wildlife by "multi-cropping," and 2) Using natural methods to repel wildlife. Let's discuss these ideas! Strategies to Reduce Human-Wildlife Conflict Learn More About Multi-cropping Click here to learn what multi-cropping is, and how it can help protect elephants. Learn More About Repelling Wildlife Click here to learn about strategies to safely repel elephants to protect crops... AND elephants. EXTENDING THE LEARNING: Planning your own "multi-crop" garden Click here to put your knowledge to work as you plan a "multi-crop" garden for your home or community. |
For the Teacher Grade Level: 3-10 Class Periods: 1-2 NGSS Standards Disciplinary Core Ideas
Connections to Nature of Science Scientific knowledge is based on empirical evidence. |