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Sustainable Development Goal 15 | Life on Land: Senior school

All of School guide to support: Global citizenship [SCoT], Sustainable development [ScOT.1050] and Ethical understanding [acgc.7]

Source: Black, S. (2019).

"Forests cover 30 per cent of the Earth’s surface and in addition to providing food security and shelter, forests are key to combating climate change, protecting biodiversity and the homes of the indigenous population.... Deforestation and desertification – caused by human activities and climate change – pose major challenges to sustainable development and have affected the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in the fight against poverty." (United Nations, n.d.) 

Referencing Notice Don't forget to cite and reference your sources. For help see the Junior School or Senior School referencing guides, and / or CiteMaker.
Resource Key

When accessing content use the numbers below to guide you:

LEVEL

Brief, basic information laid out in an easy-to-read format. May use informal language. (Includes most news articles)

LEVEL

Provides additional background information and further reading. Introduces some subject-specific language.

Level 3 resourceLEVEL

Lengthy, detailed information. Frequently uses technical/subject-specific language. (Includes most analytical articles)

Goal 15 | Life on Land: Leadership

Goal 15 Life on landShow LeadershipAs a global citizen how can I show leadership?
  • "Make a donation to a charity that focuses on supporting sustainable farming practices. Any donation, big or small, can make a difference!
  • Don’t shop for pets! Visit your local animal shelter and adopt an animal there.
  • Recycle paper, glass, plastic, metal and old electronics
  • Clean your local parks and bushland. Organise your own or join an existing clean-up event to sustain the ecosystem of your local green space.
  • Volunteer with street animal organizations or shelters: Help to sustain diversity and save lives of animal species by volunteering in organizations helping these pets as well as endangered species.
  • Reduce your use of paper. Avoid printing and substitute it with electronic devices or carriers.
  • Don’t buy products tested on animals: Check the labels on the products you buy.
  • Compost. Composting food scraps can reduce climate impact while also recycling nutrients.
  • Don't use pesticides. To protect and sustain the quality of soil, don’t use chemicals while growing plants.
  • Stay informed. Follow your local news and stay in touch with the Global Goals online or on social media at @TheGlobalGoals.
    (The Global Goals, n.d.)

Goal 15: Biodiversity / Life on the land | Facts & Figures

Level 1Statistics

 
Facts & Figures Global Targets

1.6 billion

Around 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their livelihoods.

80%

Forests are home to more than 80 percent of all terrestrial species of animals, plants and insects.

2.6 billion​

Worldwide, 2.6 billion people depend directly on agriculture to earn a living.

8,300

Of the 8,300 animal breeds known, 8 percent are extinct and 22 percent are at risk of extinction.

8 out of 10​

Up to as 80 percent of people living in rural areas in developing countries rely on traditional plant-based medicines for basic healthcare.

1%

Of the more than 80,000 tree species, less than 1 percent have been studied for potential use.
  • By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.
  • By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally.
  • By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world.
  • By 2030, ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, in order to enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable development.
  • Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species.
  • Promote fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and promote appropriate access to such resources, as internationally agreed.
  • Take urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna and address both demand and supply of illegal wildlife products.
  • By 2020, introduce measures to prevent the introduction and significantly reduce the impact of invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems and control or eradicate the priority species.
  • By 2020, integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies and accounts.
  • Mobilize and significantly increase financial resources from all sources to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity and ecosystems.
  • Mobilize significant resources from all sources and at all levels to finance sustainable forest management and provide adequate incentives to developing countries to advance such management, including for conservation and reforestation.
  • Enhance global support for efforts to combat poaching and trafficking of protected species, including by increasing the capacity of local communities to pursue sustainable livelihood opportunities.
Source

When using these figures don't forget to cite and reference your sources. For more information and help see the Kerferd Library referencing guide and / or CiteMaker.

In text citation: (United Nations Development Programme, 2018) or United Nations Development Programme (2018)

Bibliography / Reference list: United Nations Development Programme. (2018). Sustainable Development Goals, 15: Life on the land, facts and figures. Retrieved from http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-15-life-on-land.html

Goal 15 | Life on Land: Articles

Level 2 resourceArticles

Goal 15 | Life on Land: eBooks

Level 1 resourceeBookTo view the eBooks off campus follow the link. If prompted, sign in with your School mConnect user name and password.

Level 2 resource

Goal 15 | Life on Land: Online resources

Level 2

Goal 15 | Life on Land: Interactive resources

Level 2Interactive resources

StatisticsInstructionsMeat requires enormous amounts of energy and water to produce. Check out the world meat consumption statistics below and see why it’s a good idea not to eat too much meat. See also The World Counts for more details as well as information about the statistics that form the basis of this counter.

InstructionsStatisticsThe environmental effects of meat production are pretty serious. Meat production contributes to the global water crisis and cattle and other livestock animals generate a lot of waste and greenhouse gas. See also The World Counts for more details as well as information about the statistics that form the basis of this counter.

Goal 15 | Life on Land: Senior School: Videos

Level 1 resourceFilm and videoUsing YouTube on campus help and instructionsTo view this video on campus remember to first login to your school Google account using your mConnect username and password. Click here for more help on using YouTube on campus.

"Amidst climate change, a growing population, and people consuming more of less sustainable food, how will we feed our future world? The answer may not be increasing resources--land, water, and employees--but rather improving production efficiency to create more sustainable farming of crops. The key question: How do we increase the amount of food we produce while using the same or fewer resources?" (Freethink, 2019)

Source

When using this video don't forget to cite and reference your sources. For more information and help see the Kerferd Library referencing guide and / or CiteMaker.
In text reference / citation: Freethink (2019) or (Freethink, 2019)
Bibliography / Reference list:Freethink, (2019). The Futuristic Farms That Will Feed the World [eVideo]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/KfB2sx9uCkI

"Water is in short supply in much of the world - but what if we use seawater? It's been a dream for many years, but now technology is making it possible. This new seawater greenhouse uses a clever cardboard design to distill fresh water from salt water cheaply and efficiently. It's helping grow crops in Somaliland, and could help stop the water crisis in Africa and other parts of the world that are susceptible to drought. The founder of Seawater Greenhouse, Charlie Paton, explains how unlike traditional greenhouses - which are hothouses - this one is a "cool house" that is ideal for growing temperate crops in deserts or other hot, arid regions." (Freethink, 2018)

Source

When using this video don't forget to cite and reference your sources. For more information and help see the Kerferd Library referencing guide and / or CiteMaker.
In text reference / citation: Freethink (2018) or (Freethink, 2018)
Bibliography / Reference list:Freethink, (2018). Growing Crops in the Desert with Seawater [eVideo]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/PvV-iPdORLc

"By 2050 the world's population could approach 10 billion - and around 60% more food could be needed to feed everyone. The environmental impacts of the food system are daunting its responsible for about a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions and uses about 70% of all freshwater resources, and it occupies about 40% of the Earth's land surface. Food rated emissions could increase to 50 percent by 2050 and fill up the total emissions budget that we have in order to avoid dangerous levels of climate change. Interest in vegan food has been booming across the rich world. A major study has put the diet to the test - analyzing an imagined scenario in which the world goes vegan by 2050. If everybody went vegan by 2050 we estimated that food-related greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by 3/4.." (The Economist, 2018)

Source

When using this video don't forget to cite and reference your sources. For more information and help see the Kerferd Library referencing guide and / or CiteMaker.
In text reference / citation: The Economist (2018) or (The Economist, 2018)
Bibliography / Reference list:The Economist (2018). How could veganism change the world? [eVideo]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/hwoL6hWd4l0

Level 3 resource

"Claire Kremen believes protected areas are not enough to preserve our planet’s species and ecosystems. In her talk at Science Unlimited 2019, she showed the complementary approach of working lands conservation - where sustainable agriculture helps maintain biodiversity, provide habitat connectivity and improve climate change resilience, while sustaining the capacity for food production. Food rated emissions could increase to 50 percent by 2050 and fill up the total emissions budget that we have in order to avoid dangerous levels of climate change. Claire Kremen is the President's Excellence Chair in Biodiversity as well as Professor at the University of British Columbia, Canada. Science Unlimited is held in Montreux, Switzerland, as part of the annual Frontiers Forum." (Frontiers, 2019)

Source

When using this video don't forget to cite and reference your sources. For more information and help see the Kerferd Library referencing guide and / or CiteMaker.
In text reference / citation: Kremen (2019) or (Kremen, 2019)
Bibliography / Reference list:Kremen, C., (2019). Sustainable agriculture for biodiversity conservation [eVideo]. Science Unlimited. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/RAXSky8SBHE

Future food | Water & aquaculture: Water use in agriculture

Background informationLevel 2Humans use a lot of water to grow our food. "We typically eat 500 times more water than we drink. "(Institute on the Environment, n.d.). The following image shows how much water is typically used to produce different foods. However, the amount of irrigation water consumed to produce a particular food depends greatly on where its grown. For example, a cow that eats hay watered with irrigation water uses more water than a cow eating rain fed grass. One big challenge to food system sustainability is to manage irrigation better to produce food in places where water is scarce." (Institute on the Environment, n.d.). See the following article for more details.

The information in this Institute on the Environment "We eat more water than we drink" infographic from the is sourced from the following:

  • “http://www.choosemyplate.gov/.” Choose MyPlate. n.p., n.d. Retrieved 26 Oct. 2015.
  • Mekonnen, Mesfin M., and Arjen Y. Hoekstra. “The Green, Blue and Grey Water Footprint of Crops and Derived Crop Products.” (2010): n. pag.
  • Mekonnen, Mesfin M., and Arjen Y. Hoekstra. “A Global Assessment of the Water Footprint of Farm Animal Products.” Ecosystems 15.3 (2012): 401–415.
  • Nutrient Data Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center. “NDL/FNIC Food Composition Database Home Page.” N.p., Dec. 2011. Retreived 26 Oct. 2015.
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