As an end of year exercise, the students in the year 5 class were introduced to the ALA website, and then each assigned a different area of the school ground and given about 10 minutes to observe and record birds in their area.  Some samples of the students’ work are shown below.

Wendy initially intended for the lesson to take approximately one hour to complete, but it went well over that time, and she could see many opportunities for the exercise to be extended. The class didn’t photograph any of the birds that day, but Mrs Johnson said that “Using the ALA website and logging their observations would fulfil the information technology component of the curriculum. Creating public awareness posters or creating slide shows to share with the school community are other options.” She also mentioned the possibility of additional outdoor activities with the ALA, saying “in Sale there are several wetland locations which could be used for class excursions, or for students to take on in their own time”.

Wendy highlighted how the ALA could be a useful tool in answering some of the students’ everyday questions about local flora and fauna. “There was a situation at school, where an unusual bird was seen which we think was a Yellow Rosella. This could be investigated using the Atlas to see if it was a lone sighting”.

Wendy was both surprised and pleased at the level of enthusiasm and interest the students showed, “given that the lesson was conducted in the last week of school, when students are usually less focused”.

The Atlas of Living Australia educational resources can be found on the website. Click here for further information.

The book, which is available free from www.csiro.au/biodiversitybook, describes the ancient origins and unique features of Australia’s plants, animals and ecosystems, and looks at how they are currently tracking. It highlights indigenous perspectives on biodiversity and describes how Australia’s biodiversity interacts with agriculture, the resources sector, cities and with our changing global environment. The book also identifies practical solutions for managing Australia’s globally unique natural assets, including the invaluable role of the ALA.

A number of case studies throughout the book demonstrate the use of the ALA. One case study highlights how the ALA is being used to predict future trends in Australian biodiversity by providing information on the location and conservation status of Australia’s species. Others describe how the ALA is guiding revegetation under a changing climate, and how it is assisting in the design of Australia’s National Reserve System. Lastly, the ALA’s ‘Explore your area’ function provides a great example of how readers of the book can get to know the biodiversity in their neighbourhood.

The ALA is also a key part of the interactive eBook version of the book. Every species mentioned in the book links to the relevant species page on the ALA, greatly increasing the amount of information available to readers with a simple click on the screen. The eBook also contains links to videos with the book’s authors, animations, articles and further reading items.

For your free copy of the book, head to www.csiro.au/biodiversitybook.