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Conservation
About Conservation
What in nature do you appreciate? Clean air? Fresh drinking water? Wildflowers? Conservation is about balancing some of the needs of people—places to live, work, play, go to school—with the need for a planet that will be healthy for years to come. Conservation helps us protect what we want to be here tomorrow for others to enjoy. Conservation and geography are closely linked. As geography helps us to better understand our planet’s complexity, conservation enables us to become better protectors of its biological and cultural diversity.
Conservation Lesson Plans
Find lesson plans for classrooms of all levels about conservation issues: biodiversity, fresh water, oceans, and population.
Biodiversity Lesson Plans
Bears, beetles, ferns, and frogs—they’re all part of Earth’s biodiversity. Conservation is crucial to ensure that plants, animals, and other living things—and the places they live—are preserved for future generations.
- K-2 Elementary Ecosystems
- 3-5 People and Endangered Species
- 6-8 Why Preserve Biodiversity?
- 9-12 Take Action! Steward Our Land
Fresh Water Lesson Plans
Only about three percent of Earth’s water is fresh, and most of this water is frozen in icecaps and glaciers. As the world’s population grows, so does our demand for fresh water.
- K-2 Can We Keep the Lake Clean?
- 3-5 Create a Wetland Scene
- 6-8 Clues From the Black Sea
- 9-12 Water, Water Everywhere
Population Lesson Plans
The world’s population has risen to 6.6 billion people. Like other living things, people need access to food, water, and shelter to live. We’re putting considerable pressure on Earth’s resources, many of which are not infinite.
- K-2 How Do You Like a Crowd?
- 3-5 Top Ten Cities
- 6-8 Interpreting Population Statistics
- 9-12 Population Issues in China and India
Oceans Lesson Plans
Earth’s oceans cover more than 70 percent of the planet’s surface. Oceans help maintain a healthful environment for Earth by regulating the air temperature and by supplying the moisture for precipitation. Oceans make life possible on Earth.
Conservation Maps
Help your class visualize conservation issues with maps depicting the human relationship to nature, biome use, fresh water areas, oceans, population density, and more.
Conservation Activities
Jump into conservation action with activities designed to get your students thinking about the world around them and how their actions affect it.
National GeographicGeography Action! Themes
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