Using elemental data to combat illegal wildlife trade
This resource guides students through how to interpret and analyse authentic research data, generated during a collaborative project between UNSW, UTS, ANSTO and Taronga Zoo Sydney. The project examines the use of high-resolution x-ray fluorescence as a tool to combat the international illegal wildlife trade (IWT) of short beaked echidnas, which are being removed from the wild and claimed as captive-bred. These activities are suitable for Senior Biology students as well as students in Years 9 and 10.
Students will:
- examine the adaptations of short beaked echidnas that increase their ability to survive in their environment
- explore the use of technology in contributing to the study and conservation of biodiversity
- construct simple graphs of the provided data using MS Excel, and interpret and analyse these graphs
- investigate how scientific knowledge interacts with social, economic, cultural and ethical issues.