HSC Geography › Human–Environment Interactions › 12.2

# Teacher Lesson Plan — Land Cover Change at a Global Scale

NSW Stage 6 Geography (2022) · ~70–80 min (flexible over 1–2 periods)
Teacher copy — includes model answers

## At a glance

### Companion resources

- Student study page
- Revision slides
- Activity handout (student, no answers)

### Big idea

Humans are transforming Earth's land surface at a global scale — deforestation, desertification and retreating ice — and responding through international agreements.

## Syllabus mapping (NESA Geography 11–12, 2022)

Focus area: Human–Environment Interactions · Content: land cover change — the nature, rate and spatial distribution of human-induced change to Earth's land surface, and management responses.

### Outcomes addressed

GE-11-01 characteristics & spatial patterns GE-11-02 processes across scales GE-11-03 challenges & perspectives GE-11-04 responses & management for sustainability GE-11-05 analyses sources GE-11-09 communicates

### Key geographical concepts

environment interconnection sustainability scale change

## Lesson sequence & timings

Time | Phase | Teacher / student activity
--- | --- | ---
0–8 | Hook | Deck title slide (deforestation frontier). Turn-and-talk: what has changed here, and who caused it? Introduce the three global changes.
8–16 | Frame | Slides 3–4 + Activity 1 (match change to zone). Establish spatial patterns.
16–30 | Deforestation | Slides 5–6 + Activity 2 (double blow). Amazon case study; link back to 12.1 carbon double-hit.
30–40 | Response | Slide 8 + Activity 5 (evaluate 30×30). Model “strengths vs limits” then a judgement.
40–52 | Desertification | Slides 10–11 + Activity 3 (cycle order). The Sahel & Great Green Wall.
52–64 | Retreating ice | Slide 13 + satellite monitoring. Named examples; link to spatial technologies.
64–80 | Consolidate | Activity 4 place-study file (set as homework) + Activity 6 essay plan. Exit ticket: define the Anthropocene.

## Activities — model answers

### Activity 1 · Match change to zone

Model
Deforestation — humid tropics (Amazon, Congo, SE Asia). Desertification — dry subtropics/drylands (the Sahel). Retreating ice — poles & high mountains (Greenland, Himalayas, Kilimanjaro).

### Activity 2 · Double blow

Model
Biodiversity: habitats destroyed → species lost → ecosystems destabilised. Carbon: stored carbon released and a carbon sink removed → warming accelerates. It is “double” because one action harms biodiversity and the climate at the same time.

### Activity 3 · Desertification cycle

Model
Order: (1) overgrazing/clearing + drought → (2) vegetation lost, soil exposed → (3) soil erosion, less water held → (4) lower fertility, crops fail → back to more pressure on the land. Self-reinforcing because each stage makes the next worse, so degradation feeds itself.

### Activity 4 · Place-study file

Model (Sahel)
Causes: drought, overgrazing, fuel-wood, population growth. Impacts: falling yields, food/water insecurity, displacement, biodiversity loss. Response: the Great Green Wall (vegetation restoration). Accept any well-sourced place study (Amazon, Greenland, Kilimanjaro).

### Activity 5 · Evaluate 30×30

Model
Strengths: near-universal agreement (~196 parties); a clear, measurable 30% target; restoration & subsidy reform included. Limits: voluntary, weak enforcement; funding gaps; risk of “paper parks” (protected on paper only). Judgement: a significant, ambitious step whose effectiveness depends on funding and enforcement — promising but unproven.

### Activity 6 · Essay plan

Model plan
Intro: define land cover change; three forms. Body 1: causes with a place study each. Body 2: impacts (biodiversity, carbon, water, people). Body 3: evaluate ONE response (30×30 / Great Green Wall) — strengths & limits. Conclusion: a clear judgement.

## Key questioning (with answers)

- Q: Why is the Amazon a global issue?
  A: It stores vast carbon and holds huge biodiversity; clearing it releases carbon (worsening global warming) and risks a dieback tipping point — effects felt worldwide, not just in Brazil.
- Q: How is desertification different from a natural desert?
  A: It is degradation of once-productive dryland driven by human activity + climate variation — not a naturally occurring desert.
- Q: Why do we monitor ice from satellites?
  A: Polar/mountain regions are remote and vast; satellites give consistent, repeatable, wide-area data on ice change over time.

## Differentiation & assessment

### Support

- Pre-fill one row of each table.
- Provide the cycle stages on cut-out cards to physically order.
- Word bank for the double-blow branches.

### EAL/D

- Pre-teach: degradation, sink, restoration, framework, biodiversity.
- Pair the place-study file; allow oral report.

### Extension

- Debate: “There is no longer a purely natural system.”
- Compare 30×30 with an earlier agreement (Aichi Targets) — why might it succeed where others fell short?

### Assessment / homework

- Complete the Activity 4 place-study file from reputable sources.
- Write the full extended response from Activity 6.

## Useful resources & recent articles

- UN CBD — Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (30×30)
- Global Forest Watch (deforestation data & maps)
- UNCCD (desertification & land degradation)
- The Great Green Wall (Sahel restoration)
- NASA Earth Observatory (satellite imagery of change)

Accuracy reminder: Amazon cleared-area (~17–20%) and ice-loss figures vary by source and update over time — cite the source and year, and refresh before teaching.
Rose Bay Secondary College · HSC Geography · Human–Environment Interactions — Teacher plan (12.2) · NESA Stage 6 (2022) · HSC 2026
Aligned to the NESA Geography Stage 6 Syllabus (2022); facts verified to public sources; figures redrawn (no textbook images reproduced).