Yr 12 Ecosystems and Global Biodiversity

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Location

Mt Keira Rainforest (The Ring Track) 

• Full day program start/finish (Rhodadendron and Rainforest Park, Mt Pleasant)
• Shortened program start/finish (Byarong Park)

Program description

This excursion investigates the subtropical rainforests of the Mt Keira area on the Illawarra escarpment. Starting at the Illawarra Rhododendron and Rainforest Gardens, students follow the Mt Keira Ring Track to Byarong Park and back, engaging in a variety of fieldwork activities. These include:

• Plant Diversity Survey: Conducting a transect-based survey to classify rainforest types (simple, mixed, or complex) using Bywater's method.
• Animal Diversity Survey: Recording direct and indirect evidence of animal species, using methods like tree shaking and leaf litter sieving to assess biodiversity
• Succession and Resilience Assessment: Measuring physical and biological factors at different sites to assess the stages of rainforest succession and evaluate the resilience of the ecosystem.
• Weed Impact Assessment: Using belt transects to evaluate the presence and impact of invasive species at the forest edge.
• Red Cedar Recovery Investigation: Conducting a tree abundance survey and examining the impact of the Cedar-tip moth on the growth and recovery of Red Cedar trees, comparing current populations to historical estimates.

Supporting resources 

Student excursion booklet (IEEC will provide on day)

Key syllabus outcomes 

Geography Yr 12 - Ecosystems and Global Biodiversity (Ecosystem Investigation)

Outcomes identified
GE-12-02 - analyses geographical processes and influences, at a range of scales, that form and transform places and environments

GE-12-07 - selects and applies geographical inquiry skills and tools, including spatial technologies, fieldwork, and ethical practices, to investigate places and environments

GE-12-08 - Applies mathematical ideas and techniques to analyse complex geographical data

Syllabus content - Investigation of ecosystems

For the Subtropical Rainforests of the Illawarra-Shoalhaven study, students investigate:

• The characteristics of the ecosystem, including its spatial pattern and the nature of its biodiversity

• The dynamics of ecosystem functioning, including vulnerability, resilience, and ecological disturbance 

• Human-induced modifications to the ecosystem

• Responses and strategies, including for maintaining ecosystem functioning and actions for sustainability