How will the world look in thirty or a hundred years? The learning software PRONAS (PROjections of NAture for Schools) shows how environmental researchers are approaching such questions. Scientists, teachers, environmental educators and collegiate educationalists have cooperated in developing learning materials for students from 12 to 19 years of age.
The scientific foundation reflects the results of the EU-funded project ALARM (A Large-scale Risk assessment for biodiversity with tested Methods, www.alarmproject.net) – the biggest European research undertaking to date on planetary biodiversity. In this project more than 250 scientists from 36 countries investigated the effects of climate change on the animals and plants of Europe, and issued statements based on the resulting future scenarios, regarding the outlook for the period between the present and the year 2100.
In the plot structure of the software, scientists explain to Tom and Tina what effects climate change will have on the animals and plants in Germany and in Europe as a whole. At www.pronas.ufz.de free instructional information on the software can be downloaded at no cost. It offers concrete »learning modules« and thus an effective method of integrating PRONAS into the school curriculum.
Project Operation:
Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung – UFZ
Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4
06120 Halle
Telefon 0345|558-5318
Telefax 0345|558-5329
karin.ulbrich@ufz.de
www.ufz.de/index.php?en=6388
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