pictures key words

mountainuplandheatherharebell

woodlandtreeforestred squirrel

farmhedgewallgorse

riverstreambirdinsects

brent geeseestuarytidesalt marsh

coastrocky shoresea pinklichen

theme 5

BiodiversityKEY

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KEYSTAGE2

theme 5

Biodiversity

Habitats and Ecosystems The Mournes has a variety of different habitats each of which supports a different group ofspecies. Habitats include various kinds of heathland made up mainly of grasses and heather, bogs and fens, native andplanted forests, rivers and streams. Farmed areas of fields, hedges and sheughs also make important habitats. Thecoastline also includes a range of habitats, including Sand Dunes, Mud Flats and Estuaries - the features of these areasdepends on how exposed or sheltered the areas are from the weather.

Species The pictures show Yellowhammer, Sundew, Raven, and Irish Hare, four of the rare and important species of theMourne area. There is good news about the Yellowhammer, while the population of this small bird had been decreasing formany years its population is now increasing again.

The Life Cycle of the Marsh Fritillary Butterfly The butterfly feeds on blue flowers of Devil’s Bit Scabious.In the Mournes the Scabious plant grows in grassland at Murlough Nature Reserve. The butterfly lays the eggs onleaves. The larvae grow within a silk web emerging as black caterpillars. The Marsh Fritillary is protected by lawnow as it is becoming rare.

Nature Conservation - Protection and Management With increasing pressure from different landuses, areas ofbiodiversity importance are set aside and protected by law. Nature reserves provide important refuges for vulnerablespecies. Education is crucial and the Mourne Heritage Trust assist local people in projects to encourage biodiversity.

Threats to Biodiversity Our activities can have an impact on biodiversity in other countries. For example somewood on the market comes from important natural forests such as the Amazon Rainforest, rather than coming fromsustainable sources. Some of the crops and meat imported from overseas has been the result of clearing ofimportant forests and other habitats in other parts of the world.

TeachersResource

Sheet KEY STAGE 1 KEY STAGE 2

theme 5 - Biodiversityproject ideas

LiteracyUsing the pictures compare two different habitats. Habitats include upland heather, mire, bog, woodland, river, dune, estuaries, rocky shores, forest and hedgerows. Write a poem about plants, animals, insects or birds from the Mournes. Imagine yourself as one of them and how you feel about the environment.

NumeracyObserve the birds in your own school grounds. Count how many of each type you see. Are there any changes throughout the year? Create a collage of a typical Mourne scene out of fabric. Make felt pictures of species to stick on. Count the different number of animals and plants.

World Around UsStudy the life cycle of the Marsh Fritillary Butterfly. Which habitats do they prefer? Draw different wild flowers found in the Mournes from different habitats and compare the shape and colour of the flowers. Label the main parts if you can.Follow a river in the Mournes from its source to the sea – describe the habitats it passes through, the width and form of the river as it drops from high ground to lower ground and the way settlement has impacted on the river valley.

Information Communication and Technology

Using the Wetlands and Wildfowl Trust website find out about the Brent Goose – where it migrates from and to, what it feeds on, the countries it links with, the issues it faces when it arrives along the Northern Ireland coastline to include the estuaries around Mourne.

Creativity & ExpressionCreate a collage of the Mournes with the different habitats and species present in each habitat. Create your own map to show something which you feel is special about the Mournes – e.g. a walk to your favourite tree and what you see. Take some digital photographs.Create you own sculpture of a species found in the Mournes using clay or paper maché – Raven, Red Squirrel, Irish Hare or Sundew.

LiteracyUse the accompanying pictures to describe a walk through the countryside and how you feel about different habitats. Write poems about the species and the issues that they face.Research different names for wildlife and find out local names – e.g. Blaeberry and Bilberry – Gorse and Whin.

NumeracyFind out about the different birds living in the different habitats and make a chart to compare. Make a map of the Mournes area to represent the location and estimated area of each habitat. Use the Ulster Museum Habitas Online website to work out where some species occur within the Mournes AONB.

World Around UsInvestigate extinct animals such as the Irish elk. Ulster Museum has a section on extinct mammals and is worth a visit. Investigate different seaweeds found along the Mourne coastline and compare the difference between seaweeds and plants. Explore the uses of seaweed – in the past and today.Explore some of the issues to do with threats to ecology and nature conservation – climate change, development pressure and changes to agriculture.Create your own wildlife area in your school grounds.

Information Communication and Technology

Using suggested websites find out about the life cycle of the Marsh Fritillary Butterfly – the different stages of its life, the issues it faces, how it is recorded and monitored and the management issues it faces.

Creativity & ExpressionCreate the design for a wallpaper, curtain or window etching using leaf shapes, flower patterns and footprints of animals found in the Mournes.Write your own musical symphony about the biodiversity issues to do with the Mournes and another region from around the world. Create your own musical instruments from recycled materials or things collected around your school grounds to perform yoursymphony.

Summary InformationTheme 5 focuses on the rich biodiversity interest of the areaand the issues around biodiversity. There is a wonderfulmosaic of different habitats. A habitat is a particulargrouping or community of species. Habitats in the Mournearea include upland heath, bog, grassland, river, woodland,forest, coastal mudflat and shingle, rocky shores and sandybeaches. The large areas of farmland are also vital to themosaic of diversity and biodiversity in the Mournes. Speciesrich hedgerows, sheughs, grassland and small copses addto the network of habitats for our native wildlife.

Upland heath includes the unenclosed areas of mountainand includes plant species such as Heather and Bilberry orBlaeberry. The Raven typically soars over the mountains.Bogs have a higher water table and are wetter places andinclude plant species such as Bog Cotton and Asphodel.Dragonflies and other insects are common in this habitat.

Grasslands are more than just for agricultural use. Aspecies-rich grassland that has not been treated withchemical fertilisers is an important conservation resourcesustaining a wide range of insects, butterflies and birds.Agricultural intensification and the increasing use of ryegrass has led to a reduction in the areas of species richgrassland. This has been further impacted by the use ofherbicides and pesticides.

Rivers are important wildlife corridors from their source tomouth supporting characteristic species like Grey Wagtailand Dipper.

Woodlands and forests are important refuges for manybird species. There are deciduous trees (they lose theirleaves in winter) and coniferous trees (with needles thatdo not drop throughout the year). A native woodland ismade up of primarily deciduous trees like Oak, Ash andHazel. They might sometimes have coniferous trees likeHolly or Pine. Red Squirrels, moths and birds such as theJay are part of the native woodland ecosystem. Forestshave been planted commercially over the years. Betterand more diverse forest practices more recently have ledto forests becoming more diverse and hence of greaterecological interest. The coastline consists of a variety ofimportant and vulnerable habitats. The rocky shoressupport beautiful orange lichens and flowers such as SeaPink. The mudflats and estuaries are like a `food larder’ forbirds with the many worms and shelled invertebrates suchas Cockles.

The Mournes and Slieve Croob area are home to someimportant and notable species such as the Marsh FritillaryButterfly found at Murlough nature reserve, the Irish Harefound on farmland, the Brent Goose found on the mudflatsand Yellow Horned Poppy on the shingle along the coast.Dundrum Bay and Carlingford Lough have been recognisedas being of international conservation importance.

This is Sheet 5 of a series of 7 themes - Mountains of Mourne, Evidence of the Past, Food from the Mournes,Living in the Mournes, Biodiversity in the Mournes, The Mourne Coast and The Mournes - A Place to Visit.

The education sheets should be used in conjunction with Mourne Heritage Trust Facts Sheets to be found inthe education folder. Additional information about the Mourne Heritage Trust and it’s activities is availableon the mournelive.com website. More copies of these sheets (and CDROM version) can be obtained from theMourne Heritage Trust. This includes an electronic version for a classroom whiteboard education system.

TeachersSupport

Information

theme 5

Biodiversity

Resources and Websites‘Mourne Country - Landscape and Life in South Down’ E Estyn Evans, 2005, Dundalgan Press, Dundalk‘Biodiversity Strategy for Northern Ireland’ Northern Ireland Biodiversity Group, The Stationery Office'The Mountains of Mourne - A Celebration of a Place Apart' David Kirk. Appletree Press 2002www.mournelive.com local information, an interactive mapwww.ehsni.gov.uk/pubs/publications education resources and information on biodiversity, protected areas,

earth science information on rivers and water qualitywww.nationaltrust.org.uk information about local sites to visit www.habitas.org.uk loads of information about flora and fauna in Northern Irelandwww.rspb.org.uk/countryside education resources, information about birds in NI.www.ulsterwildlifetrust.org.uk education resources, information about habitats and specieswww.floralocale.org.uk information about local plants, their distribution and folklorewww.wwf.org.uk education resources and information about conservation campaignswww.wwt.org.uk/brent/brent_now.asp information about the project to trace Brent Geese migrating to

Northern Ireland from northern Canada www.butterfly-conservation.org/edupub/education/watch/a4.zip factsheet about butterfly cycleswww.foe.co.uk education resources and information about conservation campaignswww.seaturtletrust.org.uk information about Leatherback Turtle www.woodland-trust.org.uk information on native woods and education resourceswww.cvni.org.uk volunteers projects, tree planting projects, information on native treeswww.mcsuk.org.uk information on marine conservationwww.nienvironmentlink.org information on conservation campaigns and community projectswww.cee.org.uk Council for Environmental Education – links to education resourceswww.curriculumonline.gov.uk/casestudies/geography.htm provides video examples of applying the curriculumwww.ltl.org.uk information on creating wildlife areas in school groundswww.ecoseeds.co.uk Information on wildflowers and how to plant them

Written, designed and producedby Celia Spouncer with Alphaset Design.Photographs reproduced withkind permission from MourneHeritage Trust, Marty Johnston,Steve Murphy, Ernie Wilson,David Thompson, Celia Spouncer, Environment and Heritage Service NI and National Trust.Thanks to teachers at AllChildren’s and Cedar IntegratedPrimary Schools for theirassistance in ensuring that thesheets are appropriate forteachers of Key Stage 1 and 2.