Mangrove and Salt Marsh Studies for Secondary School Students.

Abstract

The excursion to the mangrove swamp has long been a part of the educational experience of secondary school students of biology on the east coast of Australia. It is felt that the time has come to update this traditional experience in the light of an increased awareness of the importance of out coastal wetlands and estuarine areas, and an increased understanding of the complex and fascinating physiology of mangroves as a whole. The experiments and observations described in this paper have been developed from a series of activities presented during the Youth Programme of the XIII International Botanical Congress held in Sydney during August 1981. They include both laboratory and field experiments and observations which would be suitable for students of varying ages. By selecting activities suitable to the particular age group, it should be possible for teachers to develop an understanding of the saltmarsh-mangrove community in pupils from the upper primary levels through to the Higher School Certificate level. The general theme of the activities might best be summed up as “Mangrove and the problems that they face”. The aim of the exercise is to present a picture of the mangrove as a whole. In presenting the exercises, it is particularly important to avoid the test-tube approach where problems are presented as isolated phenomena rather than as parts of an integrated whole.