Learning to Live With Our Natural Heritage
An Environmental Education Initiative
Scottish Natural Heritage is a government body established by Parliament in 1992, responsible to the Secretary of State for Scotland.
Our task is to secure the conservation and enhancement of Scotland’s unique and precious natural heritage - the wildlife, habitats and landscapes which have evolved in Scotland through the long partnership between people and nature.
We advise on policies and promote projects which aim to improve the natural heritage and support its sustained use.
Our aim is to help people enjoy Scotland’s natural heritage responsibly, understand it more fully and use it wisely so that it can be sustained for future generations.
March 1998
Foreword
Geography teachers face a challenge, on behalf of society as a whole, to ensure that both in the classroom and in the field the broad view of the interaction and interdependence between man and his environment, whether in the local area or at the global scale, is fostered.
Roger Crofts, Chief Executive, Scottish Natural Heritage
December 1993
Life is full of environmental challenges and geography's distinctive concern for area studies at a range of scales, from the local to the global, means that the pressure to address these challenges within our curriculum is greater than ever in the past. It therefore has been most heartening to watch the development of the partnership between the Scottish Association of Geography Teachers and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). A shared concern coupled with a shared determination has led to the development of SNH's "Advances" series. Two sets of teachers' notes and three posters have already been published, together with an update on recent advances in Quaternary studies. The aim of the series is to bring hard-pressed teachers up to date with the latest research, and to stimulate jaded palates with high quality graphics which are of immediate relevance to various parts of the curriculum.
Advances 4 concerns recent advances in the mapping of Scotland's land cover, the factors which have affected and modified land cover development through time, and ways in which the land cover of Scotland can now be described. A glance at the key concepts of Geography confirms how land cover issues permeate our curriculum.
| CONCEPT | The student should: |
|---|---|
| LOCATION of places, features, resources and environments | ... develop of sense of place - respect for and belonging |
| SPATIAL PATTERN within physical environments and within socio-economic activities | ... be able to challenge and evaluate existing patterns, evaluate the consequences of decisions on the use and management of resources |
| CHANGE within physical and human systems | ... be aware of the need to take responsibility for the consequences of change and the sustainable management of change |
| DIVERSITY of environments, people, cultures, economies, habitats | ... understand the need for diversity, and the need to accept responsibility to maintain diversity |
| INTERDEPENDENCE of physical systems, societies, cultures, economies and habitats | ... be aware of the need to accept responsibility for the environmental consequences of our own actions |
| CO-OPERATION in tackling problems at local, national and international levels | ... understand the need for co-operation at all levels, and the personal contribution to this |
| CONFLICT within ecosystems, and in the realm of decision making and use of resources | ... understand the power of the individual, and the need to participate in the decision making process |
| SUSTAINABILITY as an objective within all social and economic development | ... be able to demonstrate the benefits of good practice at a variety of scales |
| TECHNOLOGY New technology has radically changed the home and the workplace and is now poised to do the same to the classroom | ... be aware of recent advances and be able to use new technology to gather, process and communicate information |
Advances 4 is a timeous and relevant publication. Although all geography may be considered to be environmental, not all of environmental education is geography. I commend Advances 4 not only to all geography teachers but also to our colleagues in biology, history and in the primary sector.
Enjoy!
Alan W Doherty
Vice President, Scottish Association of Geography Teachers.