Teaching environmental sustainability through an ecosystem-based management lens

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During the early stages of the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge, researchers (predominantly Simon Thrush, Conrad Pilditch and Eric Jorgensen) established a mutually productive relationship with Melynda Bentley, a science teacher at Marlborough Girls’ College. Melynda was focused on developing environmental sustainability courses for secondary school students that could bring a range of science subjects into the classroom through an environmental sustainability lens. Melynda was interested in the ecosystem-based management (EBM) research being produced by Sustainable Seas, including how EBM could be used as a tool for teaching sustainability. After various conversations between Melynda and the Sustainable Seas researchers, MGC has focused their environmental sustainability courses on the EBM principles developed by Sustainable Seas. The Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge has engaged with and supported Marlborough Girls’ College to implement these courses.

This document provides guidance for teachers on how to use the EBM principles to teach environmental sustainability that can be used to assist with course development and student learning in the classroom, including Melynda’s approach to teaching these courses.