"Seeing the Forest and the Trees"
The Nepal Australia Community Forestry Project

Teachers Notes

Overview

One of Australia's longest running and most successful overseas aid programs highlights the links between conservation of the environment and community development and is an excellent model of ecologically sustainable development.

Level

Lower Secondary

Objectives

Students:

• investigate the importance of forests to life on Earth
• analyse the causes and consequences of deforestation
• investigate and evaluate community forestry projects
• develop values consistent with ecologically sustainable development

Links with nationally-developed statements and profiles

Studies of Society and the environment

• Place and Space - People and places, Care of place

• Resources - Use of resources

• Natural and social systems - Natural systems

• Investigation, Communications and Participation

Preparation

• copies of case study (one per student)
• atlases (class set)
• copies of the diamond ranking grid, preferably enlarged (one per group of four)
• four lead pencils, one eraser and several sheets of paper (one per group of four)
• poster paper (one page per student)

Procedure

The teacher's role is primarily that of facilitator of the activities outlined on the separate page.

Prior to reading the case study, students explore their own understanding of the importance of forests to life on earth, and identify similarities and differences in the ways people in developing and developed countries rely on forests. The similarities promote awareness of global interdependence and the need for sustainable use of resources that benefit all peoples and living systems.

Through the case study, students analyse cases of deforestation and the reasons for the numerous successes of community forestry programs. Students predict possible futures arising from resource depletion or from community projects, and rank services and activities which will lead to preferred outcomes. Students that particular decisions, event or activities can have far-reaching and enduring consequences, and that there is usually more than one cause of a problem, and usually more than one solution. In groups, students experience the difficulties of achieving consensus, but develop skills of negotiation and problem solving.

Resources

• McLaughlin, Andrea 'Seeing the Forest and the Trees...Nepal/Australia Community Forestry project. ' Focus, AusAID, June 1996, pp17-25 Photographs are available in this article
• Nepal Australia Community Forestry Project, Behind the News, ABC Television, 30 November 1993

* Further information and resources can be obtained from the
Professional Development Providers.

Top