Human Impact
Source:
Craigellachie National Nature Reserve, Education Pack (SNH)OBJECTIVE
- To consider the needs of people and wildlife on a nature reserve
- To look at examples of, and reasons for, the land management occurring on a nature reserve
Time
45 minutes or longer
You will need
- 'People and Wildlife' worksheet (see downloads) or notebooks
- Pencils
Did you know?
Many animals are killed when they cross busy roads, particularly dual carriageways. This can sometimes be avoided by providing 'wildlife tunnels' under the road at the spots where animals are known to try and cross. There is a tunnel under the A9 at Craigellachie National Nature Reserve, which is used by goldeneye ducks and other wildlife.Before the Activity
Find out about the management taking place on the reserve or area you are visiting. Plan a route to take in as
many land management examples and landscape features as possible, in the time available.
The Activity
Follow a route through the reserve, stopping to discuss the land management associated with features that can be seen from the route, at various intervals. Get the children to guess or deduce why the landscape looks as it does, or why the feature is there. For example:
- Fences - Is there any obvious difference in the vegetation either side of the fence, why?
- Historical features - stone dykes, ruins, remains of old industries such as charcoal burning, lime kilns, water mills, hydro power
- Forestry plantations
- Patchwork of burning on heather moorland
- Marked trails & other visitor facilities
- Bat or bird boxes
- Habitat restoration work
Are there any places in the landscape which look 'un-touched by man'
? Would the class describe any areas as 'wild land' or 'wilderness'
areas. The class could complete the 'People and Wildlife'
Worksheet.
Suggested Follow up
Discuss the importance of 'wild land' and 'wilderness' areas in more detail.
Find out about the places in Scotland that are managed for their wild land
value (see Additional Information).
Downloads
Additional Information
- Cairngorms National Park
- Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park
- National Nature Reserves
- Information on Protected Areas
- John Muir Trust
Curriculum Links
- Health and Well-being - main
- Social Studies - main
Age Range
2,3