Managing ecosystems

Preparation and Planning

Minimal preparation is required to deliver this lesson. In Episode 3 students will work in small groups but it will be best to provide one copy of the Student Worksheets to each student as there is quite a substantial amount of information to read and review. You should also ensure that you select mixed ability groups so all students can access the exercise.

There are multiple areas for discussion within this lesson. Episodes 4 and 5 could be delivered as a separate debate and discuss lesson.

You will need ICT access to play the Video to the class. Students will need ICT access to prepare their presentations. Alternatively this could be produced on poster paper in a summarised format.

This lesson includes a lot of discussion and debate and on Slides 23 there are some 'Debate Rules' that you could present at the start of the class.

About the MOD Topic

The MOD owns one of the most varied and highly designated estates in the UK, so conservation of land and its ecosystems is a top priority. They own 171 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which cover a total of approximately 82,634 hectares. The MOD has a duty to meet statutory targets which stipulate that 95% of SSSI land must be in a favourable or unfavourable recovering position by 2010.

Favourable condition means that the SSSI land is being adequately conserved and is meeting its 'conservation objectives', however, there is scope for the enhancement of these sites.
Unfavourable recovering condition is often known simply as 'recovering'. SSSI units are not yet fully conserved but all the necessary management measures are in place. Provided that the recovery work is sustained, the SSSI will reach favourable condition in time. In many cases, restoration takes time. Woodland that has been neglected for 50 years will take several years to bring back into a working coppice cycle. A drained peat bog might need 15-20 years to restore a reasonable coverage of sphagnum moss.

The main purpose of the MOD's estate is to train soldiers and prepare them for peacekeeping duties or deployment to conflict zones around the world. It plays an essential and potentially life saving role for soldiers. Today, Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA), with approximately 38,000 hectares (94 000 acres), is the largest training estate in the UK. SPTA includes the largest area of chalk grassland in NW Europe, containing many endangered species of flora and fauna. Buried beneath this is the largest concentration of archaeological remains in the UK and some of the best preserved archaeological landscapes in Europe covering barrow systems from 4 000 BC, entire Roman and Anglo Saxon villages to medieval strip lynchets and Second World War tank defences.

The habitat of Salisbury Plain was created many centuries ago by humans clearing the original woodland and then using the land for grazing their sheep and cattle. This pattern of land-use needs to continue if the habitat is to be maintained and to avoid climax vegetation. Sheep and cattle eat the new shoots of hawthorn and other scrub which stops it from developing into large dense blocks and squeezing out the grassland plants. Grassland is better suited to military training than scrub or arable land and so the scrub is actively removed. This conserves the current habitat and enables rare species to continue to survive.

One example is the marsh fritillary butterfly Euphydyras aurinia. They need to lay their eggs on a special chalk grassland plant, the devil's bit scabious, Succisa pratensis as the caterpillars have adapted to only eat this particular plant. The plant requires patches of bare soil on which it can set seed and become established. Otherwise the plant is out-competed by more vigorous plants. The patches of bare earth created by the tracks of manoeuvring armoured vehicles create the ideal habitat for this plant. These plants would be squeezed out if the grassland was undisturbed and scrub was to spread..

Whilst the military training can result in some damage to the soil and vegetation, there are benefits too. The MOD has a difficult conservation job to fulfil. They have to strike a balance between protecting the habitat whilst providing their military personnel with a range of environments to rigorously train and develop their combat skills.

Student Worksheet 1b provides a map of Salisbury Plain and identifies the areas of military training.

Useful links:
Historic Scotland: www.historic-scotland.gov.uk

CADW - The Welsh Assembly Government's historic environment division: http://www.cadw.wales.gov.uk

English Heritage: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: http://www.defra.gov.uk/

Environment and Heritage Service in Northern Ireland: http://www.ehsni.gov.uk/

Joint Nature Conservation Committee: http://www.jncc.gov.uk/

Scottish Natural Heritage: http://www.snh.org.uk/

Countryside Council for Wales: http://www.ccw.gov.uk/

Natural England: http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/

National Parks: http://www.nationalparks.gov.uk/

Defence Estates: http://www.defence-estates.mod.uk/index.php

Further Opportunities for Learning

Further Citizenship debate about the MOD's conservation responsibility. Students could argue the need for defence and military training vs the importance of conserving the land.

General debate and discussion about the importance of conservation and a study of their local area.

Effect of military training on the local community, economy and employment.
Further study of Salisbury Plain ecosystem and habitat. Huge scope for activities that looks at threats, effects and solutions to conserving the habitat. This could be a project-based task.

A follow up or homework Decision Making Exercise could be to write a report to the MOD about their findings and conclusions / recommendations.

Further research into another example of a conserved ecosystem nationally or locally. Cross reference to other world ecosystems e.g. Rainforests.
Research into organisations or campaigns that aim to protect ecosystems. The links between the MOD and other conservation / environmental organisations e.g. Natural England, defra etc. See useful links in Teacher Notes.

Study other international defence departments such as the US Army. What Defence Training Areas do they use? Also, look at international locations that the UK Army uses for training such as Mpala in Kenya and Belize.

Research how other land owners care for their land e.g. National Trust, Tesco, Network Rail and compare this to the MOD's land management.

Student worksheet answers

Download the teachers notes PDF to access the answers for this lesson.