The Half-Earth Project Educator Ambassador program provides educators with compelling, classroom-ready content designed to engage students in biodiversity science and conservation.
This week, we feature Gorongosa National Park, where Half-Earth Chair Piotr Naskrecki and his team take us behind the scenes of this unprecedented Mozambican recovery project, watch a short film about Gorongosa tour guide Tonga Torcida, and view a live webcam from the Park. Classroom materials included.
Happy Hour in Gorongosa National Park with Piotr Naskrecki
“In my judgment, the best naturalist in the world is Piotr Naskrecki.” – E.O. Wilson
In case you missed our live chat with naturalist and Half-Earth Project Chair Piotr Naskrecki and his team of Mozambican scientists, you can tune in here to learn more about the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Laboratory, the Gorongosa Restoration Project, and why they call it “a park for the people.”
WildCam Gorongosa: A Citizen Science Project
This citizen science platform allows students to identify animals captured on trail camera photographs throughout Gorongosa National Park. Your students can help contribute to scientific research going on in the park by logging and identifying animals.
To up-level your students thinking, try out one of these data analysis activities that use data students have gathered from their identifications to ask scientific questions and test predictions with real scientific data!
The Guide: A Biologist in Gorongosa
This short film, developed by HHMI Biointeractive and featuring E.O. Wilson, tells the story of Tonga Torcida, a tour guide in Gorongosa National Park who has uncovered his passion for science and conservation with the help of Dr. Wilson. Help students explore concepts of conservation biology with this companion activity guide to the film.
How Termites Enrich Ecosystems
In this animation by HHMI Biointeractive, students learn more about the importance of termite mounds in the African Savanna ecosystem. Who would have thought that these little guys would have such an impact on the productivity in the savanna!
