|
Overview:
According to the World Bank almost half of the world's six billion inhabitants live on the equivalent of less than US$2 a day, and about one-sixth live on the equivalent of less than US$1 a day. To understand these numbers, here are some figures for living costs in the developing world: in Nigeria, it costs twenty U.S. cents for a commuter bus, as little as US$1 per month for electricity, and one U.S. cent for a local phone call. Most people in the developing world spend at least half their income on food.
As countries seek to develop economically, there are many pressures to focus on economic results first and to worry about the environmental consequences later. Sustainable development projects focus on helping all people, both rich and poor, to maintain an adequate standard of living, while using resources in a way that will not diminish their capacity to support future generations. Sometimes the standard of living is decreased to minimize excessive consumption of a limited resource, such as water.
This lesson plan will help students understand the role of sustainable development as a form of economic development. Using wildlife reserves in Africa as a case study, students will learn about the key challenges in creating and sustaining the reserves, including how globalization affects the process.
This lesson was contributed by the Globalization101.org project, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and reviewed by Dr. Michal LeVasseur of Jacksonville State University and Dr. Brock Brown of Texas State University.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, Social Studies, Science
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 14: "How human actions modify the physical environment"
Standard 16: "The changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources"
Time:
Four to five hours
Materials Required:
Objectives:
Students will
- explain the concept of sustainable development;
- read about the sustainable development projects in Africa involving the creation of transfrontier wildlife reserves;
- differentiate between the competing interests involved in developing wildlife reserves;
- analyze the role of globalization in sustainable development projects; and
- argue and debate the merits of the wildlife reserves project in Africa.
Geographic Skills:
Acquiring Geographic Information
Answering Geographic Questions
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Guiding Question: What is the role of globalization in helping lift people out of poverty in a sustainable way?
In this activity, you will introduce the concept of globalization. Write the definition of globalization on the board:
Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different countries, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology. This process affects the environment, culture, political systems, economic development and prosperity, and physical human well-being in societies around the world.
Dissect the statement and ask the students to further explain each part.
Development:
Activity 1
In this section you will discuss how globalization relates to economic development.
Give out copies of two world maps that depict the world through different lenses: a World Population Cartogram and a Physical World Map. Ask the students to guess the two themes. Answer: the first map shows the world according to population and the second map is a physical map. (It is necessary to explain that the first map is a cartogram or cartograph.) A cartogram shows a geographical location, distorted and scaled to size to reflect a measurable characteristic, such as population. The world’s population, as of 2006, is about 6.5 billion.
Lead a discussion on the implications of the world populations and its concentration in the developing world.
Background information
- Out of every 100 persons added to the population in the coming decade, 97 will live in developing countries.
- More children are born each year in Africa than are born in the Americas and Europe put together.
- A 1996 study by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization reveals that Africa’s food supply will need to quadruple by 2050 to meet the basic dietary requirements of its population.
Possible Questions to ask:
- What are the implications for society if there are more young people than old people, and vise versa? Possible answers: allocation of government resources to focus on schools, education, etc vs. old-age homes, long-term care, pensions, etc.
- What problems will arise in the developing world that are associated with the rapid growth of population in parts of Africa and the concept of scarcity of resources? Possible answers: food scarcity, land degradation, prices for land ownership increase, fresh water shortages, fossil fuels as source of energy become increasingly rare/expensive
- What will countries need to do to adapt to larger populations? Possible answers: mega-cities will be built to house the growing populations, more land will need to be set aside for agriculture, countries will need to adopt better technologies to make the existing farmland more productive and/or to make land more arable, etc (makes sure to explain negative consequences that may arise from any of these policy choices)
- Where will the money come from to pay for the changes that will need to take place to prepare for growing populations? Possible answers: UN, non-profit charities, taxes, World Bank and IMF loans.
- What happens if these countries do not prepare in advance, with government programs and loans from international organizations, to deal with expected populations increases? Possible answers: war, terrorism, riots, destruction or depletion of natural resources
Have students read Sustainable Development and Is Sustainable Development the Way Forward?. Ask the students to define the term "economic development" and its relationship to poverty. Ask the student to give examples of how governments, multinational corporations, non-profits, multilateral institutions and individuals can help countries develop economically and create better opportunities for their citizens. (Responses may include institution-building, infrastructure projects, public works projects, investment and trade policy, education, health care, job training, technology transfer programs, create programs to help the status of women, micro-banking and loans, better business climate for entrepreneurs, easier system to distribute remittances, exchange programs, scholarships for promising students, more transparency for government spending, better banking systems, encourage personal savings)
Next, ask students to define sustainable development (in their own words). Possible explanation of the development process:
- Provide an action plan that gives countries a guide on how to develop economically without harming the environment.
- NGOs, governments and companies have a forum to discuss the issues and problems associated with sustainable development.
- If the parties agree on the agenda, all actors are given an action plan to implement its suggestions.
- There are follow-up meetings to track progress.
- Rich and poor countries can find ways to partner to fulfill the commitments in the agreements.
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of this form of economic development. (Strengths will include protecting the environment, long-term success and viability. Weaknesses may include susceptibility to failure if other policies are not in place).
Discuss the importance of international treaties, mentioned in the above articles, as vehicles for promoting sustainable development.
Possible answers:
Agenda 21, Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and other agreements
Discuss how globalization influences economic development. Create two lists on the board: Positive and Negative.
Sample responses:
- Technology increases productivity.
- Technology allows farmers to communicate about world pricing, prepare for natural disasters, learn about new farming techniques.
- Big multinational companies build factories in poor countries creating jobs and perhaps proving technology transfer.
Negative
- Technology takes away jobs as more jobs become automated.
- Pollution from factories and overcrowded cities.
- Disease outbreak as people live in closer quarters in cities.
- Divides between rich and poor, have and have-nots become more pronounced
- If people do not get access to technology, jobs, education, etc.
Activity 2
Case Study: Africa’s Wildlife Reserves.
Have the students read "Without Borders: Uniting Africa’s Wildlife Reserves." As a class, find the locations of the parks on the map (PDF).
List of Parks:
- Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (formerly known as the Gaza-Kruger-Gonarezhou Park)
- Kruger National Park in South Africa
- Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe
- Limpopo National Park in Mozambique
- Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
- Gemsbok National Park in Botswana
- the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park in South Africa
- Chimanimani (eastern Zimbabwe & Chimanimani range in Mozambique)
- Lubombo
- Tembe Elephant Park and Ndumo Game Reserve in South Africa
- Maputo Elephant Reserve in southern Mozambique
- Lubombo Conservancy in Swaziland
As a class, identify which countries border these parks. Identify the local populations that live adjacent to the parks or that use the parks for resources.
Divide the class into groups of 3-4 students. Have the students discuss the article and answer the following questions:
- How does globalization influence the building of peace parks and their impact on local peoples? Give at least two different examples.
Possible answers:
- Parks created partly to encourage tourism to the area and globalization contributes to the presence of tourism in these parks. Tourism can create jobs for local people.
- World Bank provides loans to help with the running of the parks.
- Training for park staff on management capacity.
- How are peace parks affected by outside forces, such as political strife and violence?
Possible Answers:
- Squatters and poachers may come in and kills animals despite the designation of these areas as parks.
- Governments may need to focus money/time/expertise elsewhere if conflicts arise within their borders.
- Government corruption could lead to mismanagement of contracts and tourism money.
- What role does technology play in the creation and sustainability of the peace parks?
Possible Answers:
- Peace park managers use satellite imagery to decide which areas to designate for different purposes within the parks (conservation, tourism, hunting, etc)
- In Limpopo National Park, solar panels along the park’s fences provide power to local villagers.
- Do you agree with the creation of the three zones (tourist, wilderness and resource utilization-zone) for Limpopo National Park? Why or why not?
- Poor parks and rich parks each have unique and shared challenges. What are the unique challenges for poor parks and for rich ones? What are the shared challenges? Give specific examples from the parks mentioned in the article.
Possible Answers:
- Shared challenge: involving local communities living near the parks in planning, tourism and other aspects of the park. This problem is seen in Tembe and Ndumo parks.
- Poor parks in Mozambique face challenges with untrained staff and the lack of experienced conservationists.
- Kruger Park in South Africa, a rich park, has sophisticated management and has many visitors and faces a problem of overpopulations of elephants.
- Are the peace parks providing sustainable development opportunities for local populations? Why or Why not?
Bring students back for a discussion about the article as a class. Student groups should report their answers to the class.
Closing:
Ask the students to reflect about how these projects could help the overall economic development of the different countries mentioned. Ask students what they think are the biggest challenges facing the Peace Park Foundation and how they can be overcome. Discuss how and why globalization has affected the creation of transfrontier wildlife parks. Finally, ask the students how their lives might be impacted by sustainable development projects around the world and the process of globalization.
Suggested Student Assessment:
Have the students participate in a debate. Students will need to give a 5-7 minute speech to a local community about the creation of a nearby wildlife park. Half of the students will represent an indigenous rights organization and will defend the interests of the local communities. The other students will represent a major corporate sponsor who is investing funds to build the park; these students will defend the business interests in the project.
Extending the Lesson:
Inquiry Extension
- What is the current status of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (formerly known as the Gaza-Kruger-Gonarezhou Park), Chimanimani, and Lubombo Parks?
- How are wildlife reserves in the article (or others) using technology to create better parks?
- What is the impact of wildlife reserves on Africa’s wildlife populations both inside and outside the parks? Recommended resource: "Farmers vs. Lions: Peace Possible?"
Cross-Curricular Extension for Further Exploration:
- Have students watch the Video Interview with Conservation International about sustainable development projects. Ask students to write a one-page position paper in support of or against Conservation International’s approach to sustainable development. Possible paper topics may include:
- Conservation International’s decision to prioritize its conservation efforts in international “hot spots” vs. areas of need in the United States.
- Conservation International methods of convincing locals to support their projects.
- AUDIO Nelson Mandela shares his hopes for southern Africa’s peace parks with author Peter Godwin.
- VIDEO Photographer Chris Johns talks about the pros and cons of establishing transfrontier peace parks.
- Is your school sustainable? Research and write a class report on the “State of [Your School] Sustainability.” Divide the class into groups and have each group develop a section of the action plan? Have students present the report to school administration, local school board and PTA. See the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association’s Building Green Schools Resource List for ideas. The report should address how to decrease energy usage and costs, as well as other proactive measures to protect the environment, such as recycling programs.
- Have the students write a 2-3 page creative writing assignment "Notes from the Field" about their experiences trying to create one of the transfrontier parks (Great Limpopo [formerly known as the Gaza-Kruger-Gonarezhou], Chimanimani or Lubombo). For ideas, have students visit Field Notes from the National Geographic author Peter Godwin and Africa Megaflyover Resources.
Try This at Home
- Sustainable development is about ensuring a quality of living for all, while preserving the environment and its resources for future generations. Your family can save money and protect the environment as well. Create a family action plan to decrease your “environmental footprints,” e.g., decrease household energy usage or incorporate more “green” technologies into your home.
- Do a family fundraiser, for example a garage sale, and donate the funds to a non-profit organization involved in sustainable development.
- Take a family vacation and learn about sustainable development firsthand. See National Geographic’s Expeditions and Sustainable Tourism Resource Center.
- Start a school conservation club, create a conservation project and apply for a grant at National Geographic’s Conservation Trust, a charity that supports field conservation projects and related publication education campaigns.
Adaptations
- For classes with international students: This lesson plan offers many opportunities for cross-cultural dialogue. If there are immigrant students or visiting international students, the teacher might want to broaden the discussion with questions of how different cultures approach sustainable development, corporate vs. communal interests and globalization.
Related Links:
|
Check out:
