Conservation Week - Oceans

Please note: These links were valid when this page was posted. However the Web is very volatile, and TKI has no control over outside websites. Please let us know if you find a broken link or if you have an update for a link.

You can register to receive Hot Topic via email for free by emailing hottopics@tki.org.nz. Please specify whether you'd prefer the plain text or the HTML-formatted version.

This hot topic highlights a few facts about the sea and why it is important to us all. It is timed to coincide with the Government's Oceans Policy consultation and to help with planning for conservation week (which runs from 6 – 12 August 2001 and features the opening of entries for the YHA Young Conservationist Awards).

No matter where in New Zealand you live, you live on an island.  The health of the ocean, the health of the land, and our health are all linked. 

The Ministry for the Environment estimates that there are between 22,000 and 23,000 species in our marine environment.  Only 12,000 of these have been identified so far.

The species that have been identified include 612 different kinds of seabirds, 41 marine mammals, 964 fish, 2,000 molluscs, and 700 different seaweeds.

The marine environments sustaining this wide variety of life include estuaries, mudflats, mangroves, seagrass and kelp beds, reefs, ocean floor and seamount communities, and deep sea trenches.

Our coastline is long and diverse, and has everything from sub-tropical beaches to mangrove estuaries, to sounds and fiords.

Apart from supporting nature's biodiversity, the sea is important to us in many different ways.

Our largest cities are sited next to the sea.

Commercial fishers, recreational fishers, customary fishers, and marine farmers (aquaculturalists) all rely on resources from the sea. 

We swim in the sea, surf on it, kayak over it, and use it for trade routes, science and research facilities, and for defence activity.  We race yachts on it, explore the ocean floor, and mine it for minerals, natural gas, and oil. 

We need to use the sea's resources in a sustainable way, without damaging the marine ecosystems otherwise the world could lose a lot, not least Friday night's fish and chips.

Science: Making Sense of the Physical World
Social Studies: Place and Environment, Resources and Economic Activities  

Science in the New Zealand Curriculum (www.tki.org.nz/r/science/curriculum/toc_e.php), and Social Studies in the New Zealand Curriculum ( www.tki.org.nz/r/socialscience/curriculum/index_e.php) are available on TKI.

World Maritime Day
This hot topic is a collection of links about ocean and river pollution, marine life, and the importance of protecting the marine environment (www.tki.org.nz/r/hot_topics/sea_e.php).

Coast
The Consortium for Oceanographic Activities for Students and Teachers has put together an online resource guide for classroom activities based on all aspects of marine science, including oceanographic and coastal processes.  Teachers can print the lesson plans and suggestions for activities that use both computer and traditional media resources, and there are interactive experiences for students.  The site has sections for both primary and secondary school levels (www.coast-nopp.org/).

Sea World
The Sea World website has pages of information and resources for schools on whales, wetlands, seals, coral reefs, lions and walruses, and other ocean life (www.seaworld.org/), including stories, exercises, vocabulary, and assessment examples.

Ocean Adventure
This website explores the what, where, when, why, how, and "wow" of hydrothermal vents.  It has information on research tools, ethics, mysteries, scientists, interactives, fauna, geology, and a glossary of terms (http://library.thinkquest.org/18828/ ).

Secrets of the Ocean Realm
This website describes some of the fish, mammals, and plant life that live in the oceans.  It has classroom activities, a quiz, a screen saver, and a description of how an underwater wildlife film is made (www.pbs.org/oceanrealm/index.html).

Secrets@Sea
This website contains an imaginary news story designed to complement study based on an ocean theme.  It includes a teachers guide, and a field guide with supporting information about whales, food chains, tides, estuaries, pollution, and oceans (www.secretsatsea.org/).

Starfish
The Ministry of Fisheries has just launched Starfish, a student and teacher resource which provides tailored information and activities on New Zealand fisheries and fisheries issues. It provides student activities, teacher notes, fact sheets, and other resources relevant to the economics, science, social studies, and geography curriculum (www.starfish.govt.nz).

Seaweek
Seaweek is an annual event celebrating the ocean environment. See what is planned for the next Seaweek:www.nzaee.org.nz/seaweek

NIWA
Find out whether iron limits phytoplankton growth in the Southern Ocean, check out computer-controlled video cameras which monitor beaches providing images for beach-goers, surfers, and swimmers, and discover lots of other great marine information on the NIWA site (www.niwa.cri.nz/rc/coast_oceans).

Marine biology
The Marine Biology Web (http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/marinebio/mbweb.html) is an educational resource for marine biology students with reference lists organised by subject, marine lab, tide information, and information about careers in marine biology.