Life and Nature
Senior 6 · English (Languages)
Life and Nature
Lesson 2 of 4
30 min
Let's begin
Conservation is often told as a story of animals. It is just as much a story of people: the rangers who patrol, the farmers who live beside a park, the visitors who pay to enter it, and the scientists who count what is left. In this lesson you will listen to a ranger's talk, practise listening for numbers, dates and reasons, and then write a formal report, the document that turns concern for the environment into a decision.
A talk written for this lesson; the ranger is imagined, and the facts about gorillas and Akagera are real. One student reads while the others note: (a) one change in 2018; (b) three threats; (c) two rules for visitors and their reasons; (d) one example of conservation outside Volcanoes.
Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the park headquarters. I've been a ranger here for twelve years, and I want to start with some good news, because conservation stories are usually sad.
In 2018, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the IUCN, moved the mountain gorilla from "Critically Endangered" to "Endangered" on its Red List. That may not sound like a celebration. But it is the first time, in my working life, that the gorillas have moved in the right direction. It happened because of decades of work: patrols, veterinary care, and communities who decided that a living gorilla is worth more than a dead one.
Now the threats, because they haven't disappeared. The first is habitat. These forests are surrounded by some of the most fertile and crowded farmland in Africa, and every hectare of forest is a hectare someone could farm. The second is snares: wire traps set for antelope, which catch gorillas' hands and feet. The third surprises people. It's us. Gorillas share most of our DNA, and they can catch our diseases, including the common cold, which can kill them.
That's why, when you visit a gorilla family, we ask you to keep at least seven metres away, and why each visit lasts one hour. These rules aren't there to spoil your photographs; they're there to stop us from becoming the threat.
And people living next to the park must benefit from it, or protection won't last. Part of what visitors pay goes to projects in the surrounding communities: schools, water supplies, health centres. Every year, at the ceremony called Kwita Izina, newborn gorillas are given names in front of the whole country. It's a way of saying: these animals belong to all of us.
Finally, conservation isn't only about protecting what's left; it can also bring back what was lost. In Akagera National Park, in the east, lions were reintroduced in 2015 and eastern black rhinos in 2017, after years without either.
So, to sum up: one success, three threats, two rules, and a lesson. Conservation works when the people closest to nature gain from protecting it. Any questions?
Definition
Key terms
| Listen for | In the talk | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Dates and numbers | 2018; seven metres; one hour; 2015; 2017; twelve years | Write figures, not words, while listening. |
| Lists signposted by order | "The first is … The second is … The third surprises people." | Number your notes as the speaker numbers. |
| Reasons | "That's why …"; "they're there to …" | Draw an arrow from the rule to its reason. |
| The speaker's main message | "Conservation works when the people closest to nature gain from protecting it." | The summary at the end often states the main idea most clearly. |
Discussion. The ranger says protection "won't last" unless neighbours of the park benefit. Do you agree? What else, besides money, could make communities value a park?
Task. Your head teacher has asked the Environment Club to report on how the school manages its waste and to recommend improvements. Write the report (400 to 500 words).
| Section | What it contains |
|---|---|
| Heading | To, From, Date, Subject |
| 1. Introduction | The terms of reference: who asked, and what the report covers |
| 2. Method | How the information was gathered: observation, a survey, interviews |
| 3. Findings | What was found, under subheadings, with figures |
| 4. Conclusions | What the findings mean |
| 5. Recommendations | Numbered, practical actions, each linked to a finding |
Worked example
Extract from a model report (the figures are illustrative)
To: The Head Teacher From: The Environment Club Date: 14 May 2027 Subject: Waste management at the school
1. Introduction
This report was requested by the Head Teacher. It describes how waste is currently handled at the school and recommends improvements.
2. Method
Club members observed the dining hall and the compound for one week, weighed the waste collected each day, and surveyed 120 students.
3. Findings
3.1 Quantity. An average of 85 kg of waste was collected per day, of which about two-thirds was food waste.
3.2 Sorting. No sorting takes place: food waste, paper and plastic are placed in the same pit.
3.3 Attitudes. Most students surveyed (78 per cent) said they would sort waste if separate bins were provided.
4. Conclusions
Most of the school's waste could be composted or recycled, and students appear willing to help.
5. Recommendations
1. Separate bins for food waste, paper and plastic should be placed in the dining hall.
2. A compost heap should be started beside the school garden, managed by the club.
3. The results should be reviewed after one term.
| Feature | Example | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Impersonal and passive forms | "It was found that …"; "The waste was weighed." | The focus is on the facts, not on who found them. |
| Nominalisation (actions as nouns) | "No sorting takes place" instead of "Nobody sorts" | More formal and concise |
| Precise quantities | "85 kg per day"; "78 per cent" | Findings must be checkable. |
| Hedging conclusions | "Students appear willing …" | A survey shows intentions, not proof of behaviour. |
| should in recommendations | "Separate bins should be placed …" | Firm but polite proposals |
Warning
Practice
Sources and credits
