Conservation ranking in action
In this activity, students work in small groups to rank a number of native reptiles and amphibians according to their conservation threat status or risk of extinction.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
better understand key conservation terms including ‘extinction’, ‘endangered’, ‘threats’ and ‘habitats
better understand the importance of a recognised ranking system
describe typical criteria used by scientists to rank animals according to their conservation threat status
understand more about human impacts on living things and the most common threats to reptiles and amphibians in New Zealand
appreciate why it is a difficult job to assign a conservation ranking to a species and that scientists may not always agree.
Conservation rankings
Dr Phil Bishop, from the University of Otago, talks about our native frogs and some of the reasons they are so vulnerable to extinction. He describes the process of assigning a conservation ranking or threat status to a species.
Point of interest: Imagine you are on the expert panel. Make a list of the factors or criteria you would look at to help you decide how to rank a species according to their conservation status.
Jargon alert: IUCN stands for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. They administer the international Red List of Threatened Species.
Download the Word file (see link below) for:
introduction/background notes
instructions on what you need and what to do
discussion questions
ideas for extending your students
species cards.
Nature of Science
Assigning a conservation ranking to a species is an important process that requires input from a number of scientific experts. Rankings are not fixed and may change as new information becomes available.
Useful links
The IUCN criteria for ranking animals according to their threat status can be downloaded from the website.
www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/categories-and-criteria
Additional information about the New Zealand Threat Classification System is in this pdf published by the Department of Conservation (DOC).
www.doc.govt.nz/documents/science-and-technical/bbb9.pdf
Visit the EDGE of Existence website to find out more about this unique programme that ranks animals according to their evolutionary distinctiveness and global risk of extinction. Archey’s frog ranks as number one on their list of EDGE (Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered) amphibians.
www.edgeofexistence.org/
