SHS - HabitatNet Biodiversity Monitoring Project

How humans relate with the natural world has deep cultural foundations. Throughout the history of all civilizations, our relationship with nature had given us art, music, verse, and science. Today our global imperative is to understand nature and the implication of our relationship.

The goal of this project is to enable high school students (1) to establish permanent biodiversity monitoring projects and (2) to establish a global telecommunications link (using email) with other high school classes interested in developing biodiversity monitoring plots.

Initially, students will use the protocol established by the Smithsonian Institute's Man and the Biosphere's Permanent Plot Program to define and delineate the scope of the biodiversity survey in a forest nearby their schools. This would include surveying and mapping 20 meter by 20 meter permanent quadrants throughout the forest. Students would then note tree species density, frequency, and dominance figures, by quadrant. Using the data sheets in this packet, students will include species locates in each quadrant at four seasonal midpoint (with priority given to indicator species of insects, birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and plants). Additionally, a network of high schools in the United States will be created in order to gather data on habitat conservation projects and share their data electronically with participating schools.

The project outcomes will include: (a) a student publication produced by students detailing student conservation projects that promote ecological stewardship though the monitoring habitat at a permanent plot developed by this grant, and (b) the establishment of an electron mail network (HabitatNet) for teacher and students interested in ongoing biodiversity monitoring conservation projects.

HabitatNet: A Biodiversity Monitoring Project

Perhaps our most valuable connection with forest throughout the North, Central, and South America is our birds. Two thirds of the bird species in temperate United States are really tropical birds which migrate to our forests for three to four months of the year. Protection of habitat in North, Central, and South America is essential for "our" neotropical birds to thrive and reproduce. Vanishing habitat, not only in the tropics, but throughout the range of neotropical birds potentially threatens the biological diversity and integrity of these interconnected ecosystems. Using migratory bird observations as one vehicle of biological.

HabitatNet	HabitatNet@sprise.com
Souhegan High School	Last Updated on 10/10/01 © 1998 Souhegan High School