LEARNING ACTIVITY
Catchment management: water sustainability
Climate Region: Arid | Temperate | Tropical
State or Territory: ACT | All States/Territories | NSW | NT | QLD | SA | TAS | VIC | WA
Age Range: 13-18

STORY

Amir and his friends have been making an effort to go to the beach in the morning on the 4th Sunday of the month. They help the local Coastcare group pick up rubbish, remove weeds and plant native seedlings along the sand dunes. While Amir loves being able to protect our marine environment from pollution, his favourite thing about the community volunteer day is listening to Mick tell stories of how their local environment has changed over time.

Amir could not believe that when Mick was young, the area where Amir lives was farmland. What was once a pig farm then, is now the block of units where Amir and his family and a lot of other people live!

ACTIVITY OVERVIEW

Water is an important resource, and is required by all living species to survive. Water is also important for many industries and businesses. This activity investigates the different land uses over time across your local catchment.

This learning activity is the second part of a sequence of 5 individual learning activities focused on catchment management. The order of these learning activities are: the story of a river, water sustainability, what’s in a drop?, the drain is just for rain and where the river meets the sea.

Outcomes

For children to:

  • understand the natural and urban water cycle
  • learn about the different land uses for water in your local area
  • understand the competing pressures for water security in a catchment
  • appreciate that what happens on land can impact our rivers and oceans
  • recognise strategies to help water sustainability locally.
SEASONAL NOTES

This activity can be undertaken at any time of year.

Did you know?

Different land uses in a catchment have different water use needs, and agriculture is the largest water consuming industry in Australia.

Did you know?

There are many different stakeholders that have an interest in how water is used across the catchment. Stakeholders typically include governments, Traditional Owners, industry, scientists, landowners, and local users of water like you.

Did you know?

The urban water cycle links in with the natural water cycle to ensure you have clean safe water to your home, and that waste water is managed appropriately.

Did you know?

Waste water can be treated, so it can be safely reused to water gardens, parks and sporting fields, flush toilets, fight fires, irrigate farms, or get returned to the environment to maintain river flows.

We value your feedback

When you have finished this learning activity, please tell us what you think with our survey.
Your feedback will help Landcare Australia improve the activities in the Junior Landcare Learning Centre.

Why not try one of our other Junior Landcare learning activities?

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Caring for our coasts: beach clean-up

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Waterways: clean-up

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