How will the people of Inner Mongolia deal with the threat of desertification and create a sustainable future?

Define · Locate · Select · Organise · Present · Evaluate Define the task Scenario - Sustainable living in vulnerable areas The government of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in China is concerned about the impact of desertification on people of the region and has called a forum of all affected and interested people. Each group will present their ideas about protecting the environment and traditional cultures while generating income for survival and development of the region. People at the forum will then have to agree to a list of actions which address all the perspectives. How will the people of Inner Mongolia deal with the threat of desertification and create a sustainable future? Background The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in China has traditionally been the home of the herding Mongolian people. The grassy plains are ideal for raising camels, sheep, goats and horses. Many Han Chinese have been encouraged to migrate to the area and now make up 80 per cent of the population. The increasing demand for food and livelihood has turned much of the grassland to desert. Without action the creeping desert sands will further harm the environment, limit food production and the livelihoods of people living in the area, particularly the poor. The Mongol people and other minority groups have been forced to settle in areas away from their grasslands and their traditions. Extensive coal deposits and increasing interest in tourism could offer new sources of income for people living in the area and meet China's growing energy demands but infrastructure is poor and increasing numbers of people will further stretch the environmental resources. Perspectives on the Global Question Mongolian herding families The herding families have lived in the area for many thousands of years. Their lifestyle is connected to the seasons moving their livestock from the low desert areas to the higher summer grasslands and moving back down again as the days become shorter and colder. The annual gathering for the Namad Festival is the highlight of the social year. Traditionally the higher the number of stock you have the wealthier you were considered to be but degradation of the land is reducing the productivity of livestock and crops. It is becoming harder to survive and there is concern that these families will be unable to continue living in the area. The cities are already crowded and they fear losing their heritage. Environmentalists Increasing population along with increased numbers of animals and expanding cropland is leading to overgrazing and desertification. Water resources are being over used as crops are planted to supply food and income. Trees are being used for firewood faster than they can be replaced. Many of the current programs to address desertification are not working because there is little consultation with the people living in the area and traditional lifestyle and knowledge is being ignored. The energy demands of major towns make a ready market for the coal and other mineral which are in the region but proper safety and environmental safeguards are required. Alternative fuel sources such as biogas, solar and wind power could provide alternatives which protect the environment. Government officials Billowing clouds of dust have caused environmental and health problems for the people in the cities. Government officials are encouraging herders to reduce the numbers of stock and even move to towns in order to protect the desert and marginal crop lands. They are encouraging the development of mining and new industries in the area to provide alternative sources of income, and carrying out extensive tree planting along the borders of the desert areas to create a green wall against the encroaching dunes. Mining companies There are massive coal and mineral resources in the region which can be developed more fully to meet the growing energy demands of the country. They are undeveloped as there are limited financial resources to install proper environmental controls and construct the road and rail infrastructure to cart materials to processing areas. In some areas there are small community-operated mines but the coal seams are very deep, making the coal difficult to extract. Numerous accidents because of limited safety controls have led to the government closing many mines to prevent further accidents. Overseas mining companies are interested in forming partnerships to invest in new and safer mines to extract the coal. Tourism companies The spectacular scenery of the deserts, the hot springs, grassy plains and interesting bird life make the environment a great attraction for tourists. The fascinating cultures of ethnic people with their colourful dress, music and dance, distinctive circular tents and horse racing provide great interest to visitors. Ancient temples and artwork are other attractions. For those who want to be active there is surfing in the sea of sand in jeeps or on motorcycles and riding horses and camels. The great distances and limited road and rail network mean that tourists need to have weeks available to travel to these areas. Locate resources You can find information about desertification from a variety of sources including books, magazines, videos, television programs, news reports, online databases, websites, organisations and personal contacts. Remember that for this learning quest you are particularly interested in desertification in the province of Inner Mongolia (autonomous region) in northern China. Libraries and databases Keyword search deserts desertification desert* (truncation) Phrase search "inner mongolia" Subject heading search China Economic conditions China Environmental aspects Desertification Desertification China Inner Mongolia Deserts Deserts Economic aspects Deserts Environmental aspects Inner Mongolia Nomads Websites A number of websites have been suggested under headings for each of the team roles on the Desertification Learning Quest Resources page at: http://www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au/globaled/page2032.html Background resources: Inner Mongolia http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/search?qt=inner+mongolia&edna.sector=14170 Mongolian herders http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/search?qt=mongolian+herders&word=phrase Environment http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/search?qt=inner+mongolia+environment&word=phrase Government http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/search?qt=inner+mongolia+government&word=phrase Mining http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/search?qt=inner+mongolia+mining&word=phrase Tourism http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/search?qt=inner+mongolia+tourism&word=phrase Select information Focus questions to investigate roles and responsibilities Each person should research the issues of desertification as they affect their specific role. There are some focus questions posed to assist you in your reading, understanding and reporting back to the group about your role. Remember to think all the time about what actions you can suggest to help address the issues of desertification in Inner Mongolia. Make notes and record where you found your information. You can use the bibliography framework template available online at: http://www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au/globaled/page1873.html Background · Mongolian herder · Environmentalist · Government official · Mining investor · Tour operator Background questions What are the key geographical characteristics of Inner Mongolia? What are the key economic development issues in Inner Mongolia? How is desertification affecting people living in Inner Mongolia? Mongolian herder What is your traditional way of life? How have you traditionally made a living? How is desertification affecting your way of life? How has modern life impacted on you? What changes could you make to protect the environment? What assistance do you need to protect your culture? What assistance do you need to help you make a living? Environmentalist How is desertification affecting the environment? Why is it important to protect biodiversity? How successful are current methods of addressing desertification? What changes would you recommend to combat desertification? How can people living in the areas suffering desertification be supported? Government official What activities are being undertaken to combat desertification and protect the environment? How is the culture and traditional knowledge of indigenous people being valued? How can people living in the areas suffering desertification be supported? What resources are available for future projects to combat desertification? Mining investor What mining possibilities exist in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China? How could mining provide economic benefits for the community and the government? What difficulties does the expansion of the mining industry face? How does desertification impact on mining? What controls have been implemented to address environmental concerns? Tour operator What tourism possibilities exist in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China? How could tourism provide economic benefits for the community and the government? What difficulties does the expansion of the tourism industry face? How is desertification affecting tourism? How can tourism limit its impact on the environment? How can tourism respect the cultural heritage of the people of the area? Organise your response As part of this Global Learning Quest, you are going to take part in a forum and represent the herders, environmentalists, government officials, mining companies and tourism companies affected by desertification in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. Those presenting at the forum are affected by, and concerned about, the impact of desertification on the region. Each group will present their ideas about protecting the environment and traditional cultures while generating income for survival and development of the region. People at the forum will then have to agree to a list of actions which address all the perspectives. This is where you need to sort, sift, arrange and analyse your information and decide what to use in your presentation What is the best information we have? Where are the gaps in our findings? Do we need more information? How will we find this? Which of our information needs deleting? What needs re-checking? Can we answer the question? How could we organise our information? How will we organise our information? Once all the information has been collected and analysed for your role, you will need to prepare a list of proposed actions that will address the issues of desertification from your point of view. You will need background information for each issue so you can explain this to others. Check that everything you record to use in the presentation is backed up by evidence. When your team meets to discuss their presentation each team member will present and explain their proposals and other team members should ask questions to make sure everything is understood by each member of the team. As a group you now need to consider your answer to the global question and develop a short list of actions that you will propose at the class forum. How will the people of Inner Mongolia deal with the threat of desertification and create a sustainable future? Present your findings You are going to present your list of ideas at a class forum. Preparation Set a date for your Desertification forum and choose a forum facilitator. You may like to invite an external facilitator or interested members of the community to be present at the forum. Agree on how long each group will have to present their case, and what equipment will be needed. At the forum Listen to other groups' proposals and compare their answers and reasoning with your own. After each group has presented their ideas, the forum as a whole group should review all the action proposals and and agree on one collective list that contains no more than 10 actions. Action For each action step, members of the forum should write a statement about how people in Australia (or in your community) could support this action list. For example: encouraging investment which follows ethical principles, supporting government aid for improved environmental standards, sharing knowledge of alternative energy sources... You could consider publishing the results of your forum so other members of your community will be better informed about desertification. Evaluate and reflect on your learning To complete this Learning Quest on desertification and sustainable living you should reflect on what you have learned, not only about desertification but also about how you worked with each other as members of a team to complete the project. You can use the assessment rubric, and your teacher and other team members may also give you feedback about your work in this Learning Quest.   High Medium Low Ability to gather relevant information Used a large number of appropriate resources to gather information which was important and related to the questions. Used a variety of resources and collected information which was generally useful. Used only one or two resources and did not select the key points to answer the questions. Ability to use information to support a particular perspective Able to develop an understanding of a particular point of view about the issue and supported this well with information gathered. Presented a key aspect of a particular point of view about the issue and provided some information to support it. Formed opinion with only limited use of the information gathered. Ability to work with others in a group Listened carefully to others, shared own information and supported others to express their point of view and keep the group working together well. Listened to others and made some comments to support the group work together Listened to some people but did not always encourage others to contribute their ideas. Ability to present information with rationale Presented the key points with good supportive evidence Supported a range of the key points with some evidence. Presented a limited number of the key points with little evidence Ability apply learning about combating desertification Can challenge information and explain other interpretations about combating desertification Can explain an aspect of combating desertification. Can ask some questions of clarification about combating desertification

Task: In this Global Learning Quest you are representing some of the people who are affected by the creeping desert sands in the west of Inner Mongolia, China. You will take on the role of Mongolian herders, environmentalists, government officials, mining companies and tourism companies. After researching your role's perspective you will present your ideas at a forum and decide on a list of actions to assist people to live sustainably in the desert - protecting the environment, economy and traditional cultures. Learning Areas: Studies of Society & Environment Geography   Year levels: Lower secondary   Duration: Minimum of four 45-minute lessons   Tools needed: Access to library resources and the Internet; large sheets of paper or projection for class forum.