Student activities - Unpacking the Living Planet Report 2006

WWF produced its first Living Planet Report in 1998. The Living Planet Report is produced every three years and includes environmental, economic and social data for countries with populations greater than 1 million. The data is collected 3 years prior to the report being released (ie. the 2006 Living Planet Report is based on 2003 data , the 2008 Living Planet Report on 2005 data).

The report can be viewed online or downloaded from - www.panda.org/news_facts/publications/living_planet_report/

Activities

The following questions and activities aim to raise the level of understanding about environmental impact and Ecological Footprint through investigation of the WWF 2006 Living Planet Report. WWF has since released a 2008 Living Planet Report. This does not impact on activity relevance but you may wish to update the activity data. See http://www.panda.org

This series of activities provides students with an opportunity to read a significant scientific document that is referred to by scientists and governments around the world. The activities are suitable for upper primary students and secondary students.

Teacher Notes

• It is recommended that students read one section of the report at a time then answer the questions that relate to that section before progressing to the next section.
• Many of the questions require students to locate information in the text. Some activities require students to conduct research and some of the later activities require students to think more deeply about the environment, their values, and issues of social equity. The research activities require students to look further than the Living Planet Report (LPR)
• Each section will require approximately one hour to work through.
• Sections 1-4 suitable for year 6 plus
• Sections 5 and 6 suitable for year 9 plus
• Sections 7 and 8 suitable for year 9 plus with some activities suitable for younger students

1. Introduction to the Living Planet Index
2. Understanding the Living Planet Indices
3. What about water – is it calculated in the Ecological Footprint?
4. Ecological Footprint – Country comparisons
5. Human Development Index
6. Ecological debtors and ecological creditors. Is it that simple?
7. Some BIG questions!
8. Further things to do

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