Planted Podcast Season 1: Ep. 6 Lesson

How do Humans Impact the Aguaje Palm?

Objectives:

· Students will be able to read three articles about how humans are impacting the aguaje palm.

· Students will be able to find evidence in the non-fiction articles to support their claim as to how humans are impacting the aguaje palm.

· Students will be able to identify one animal or insect that is being affected by human action.

· Students will be able to propose a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on this palm and the rainforest environment.

· After discussing the problem within groups, students will be able to refine, change, and evaluate their solution.

· Students will be able to write two paragraphs, one detailing the problem and one detailing their solution, drawing from evidence within the non-fiction text.

Next Generation Science Standard:

HS-LS2-7: Design, evaluate and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.

Materials: Students need access to these articles, whether online or printed out versions. Student need three print outs of the reading guide (as it is versatile for all three articles). Students need a pencil or pen and a piece of paper.

Background:

Within this activity, students will explore how humans are impacting the aguaje palm, through reading three non-fiction articles. They will use lines of evidence from these articles to describe this impact, deforestation, and propose a solution to mitigate this impact. Students will use the reading guide, provided below, to pull out evidence from the non-fiction articles to support their claim. Students will then write two short paragraphs. The first will detail the problem and the environmental and biodiversity impact. Their second paragraph will detail their solution to the human impact on the environment and biodiversity and provide evidence from the articles as to why they support that solution.

Articles for this activity:

· https://www.nationalgeographic.com/people-and-culture/food/the-plate/2015/03/23/deforestation-threatens-perus-food-system-environment/

· http://institute.sandiegozoo.org/species/aguaje-palm

· https://forestsnews.cifor.org/21687/project-seeks-to-unlock-the-mysteries-of-perus-peatlands?fnl=en

The problem: Aguaje palm is being rapidly cut down by Peruvians to sell the leaves, wood, and fruit. At times, 17,000 female plants are chopped down each year. Aguaje fruit is a common product in in Peru, eaten raw, in juice or even ice cream. People are chopping down these trees versus harvesting the fruit from the trees, as harvesting the fruit and leaves from the 30 meter palms can be difficult or dangerous. Additionally, it takes 17 years for a tree to regrow and start producing fruit again. This is quite a long time to wait for the families who depend on them. These trees serve as building materials, provide food for other animals and insects the locals eat, and provide an income to many families.

The environmental and biodiversity impact: Aguaje palms are found in palm swamps, some of which have peat, that are an important because they store carbon. If they are deforested – these areas can become a source of carbon dioxide rather than a sink for carbon. Aguaje palms store three to five times more carbon dioxide than any other tropical ecosystem. Additionally, many animals like birds, monkeys, and tapirs eat the aguaje fruit. If supply to this fruit changes or disappears, so will these animals. As they are cutting down mature, desirable trees, they are leaving the undesirable trees to pass on their genetic information – selecting for less desirable trees as those are the ones that survive.

Potential solutions:

1. Genetically engineer a tree that is less high and less dangerous to climb

2. Provide alternative fruits or means of income

3. Provide climbing harnesses and training to harvesters

4. Aid in growing their own aguaje palms in fields – agriculture

5. Document all of the wildlife that are supported by this fruit

6. Conduct outreach and workshops with local peoples to give them more sustainable tools

7. Consumers buy more sustainable palm hearts

8. Engage with the Peruvian government to plan for conservation measures for palm swamps

Procedure:

1. Brainstorm with students some ways humans have impacted the environment and biodiversity. A few examples are below, but these are by no means comprehensive:

a. Overpopulation: Humans need spaces to live, work, and grow the food needed to sustain our life. This space need to be cleared for human activities – generally damaging ecosystems

b. Pollution: Our waste and trash ends up in the environment – either physical trash or chemical; e.g., CO2 or aerosols in the air and agricultural runoff.

c. Climate change: Humans releasing CO2 into the environment is causing the climate to warm. This is changing habitats, melting arctic land ice and glaciers, and contributing to changes in animal and plant life.

d. Hunting of particular animal species

e. Deforestation of habitats for space, resources, or monetary gain

f. Introduction of invasive species, particularly plants. A great examples is Buckthorn

2. Discuss with students how these human impacts can be mitigated through policy, behavior change, or entrepreneurial efforts and innovation.

3. Inform students that they will be exploring how human activity is impacting the aguaje palm in Peru.

4. Explain to students that they will be reading three articles and completing their reading guides to learn about this problem.

5. Inform students that after their completion of these articles, they will be proposing a plan or solution to mitigate the environmental impact these activities have on Peruvian palm swamps. Their plan must include evidence from these articles in order to support their claim that this solution will help decrease the amount of unnecessary deforestation that occurs.

6. Instruct students to read each article and fill out a reading guide for each article.

7. Instruct students to write a paragraph detailing their claim to have human activities are impacting the environment and biodiversity in aguaje palm swamps. They will highlight one species that is being affected, besides aguaje.

8. Discuss with students the different article’s main themes and the problem and environmental impacts of aguaje deforestation.

9. Instruct students to write a second paragraph detailing a proposed solution to reduce the human impact on these palm swamps and include at least one/two pieces of evidence to support this solution.

10. As students are completing these paragraphs, go around the room assisting students in selecting their lines of evidence and solution.

11. Upon their completion, instruct students to form groups and discuss their solution and why they chose that way of solving the problem. Encourage them to provide feedback on one another’s proposal.

12. Provide a time for them to refine their solutions if there are reasons, concerns, or insights that they learned about through talking with other students.

13. Have a select number of students share the solution that they chose, their evidence, and why they selected that plan of action.

How are Humans Impacting the Aguaje Palm? Reading GuideName:________________

Article Title:

Author:

Before You Read:

1. What have you heard about this topic?

2. Why do you think people would cut down trees rather than harvest items from them?

3. What components of a tree would be useful, and how could people use it?

While You Read:

4. What are the article’s main themes?

5. What reasons does the author give to explain why people are cutting down aguaje palm?

6. Which environmental or biodiversity impacts of deforestation does this article note?

7. What potential solution(s) does this article mention?

After You Read:

8. What pieces of evidence did the author use to support their assertion that convenience and risk are driving deforestation?

9. Which of the solution(s), that the article mentioned, do you think would help fix the problem?

10. What pieces of evidence support your assertion that this solution would fix it?

11. Are there any lines of evidence in the article that challenge your assertion that this solution would fix the problem?

12. Who would need to be involved to implement this solution?

Written Portion Grading Rubric:

Task

Exceeds Standard

Meets Standard

Nearing Standard

Below Standard

Describe how humans are impacting the Aguaje palm

Describe the effect of human impact

Uses evidence from the non-fiction text to support human impact claim

Proposes a solution to mitigate the problem

Describes how the solution will achieve the desired result

Uses evidence from the non-fiction text to support solution

Well written argument with proper grammar and spelling

Well-structured argument including: claim, evidence, and rationale

Includes ecological impact with at least one other species