GINKs

An interesting article here from the Guardian about population and the environment... and GINKs (Green Inclinations, No Kids).

Thanks to Alan Parkinson.

Year 13 - Local Conflict

Part of the Conflict unit requires us to look at an example of a local conflict. You'll be aware from the fluorescent green/yellow signs if nothing else, that there are proposals to build new houses on several sites in the Amber Valley area, including two sites in Swanwick - one of which is on the green belt land behind the houses on Derby Road and above Butterley Reservoir. It would be well worth keeping an eye on how things develop, including talking to people, getting hold of copies of any consultation documents, and checking out various websites including Amber Valley Borough Council, the Ripley Gateway site, and Support our Struggle - a page set up on Facebook to campaign against the proposed housing developments in the area.

Happy New Year!

Welcome to the new Year 12 geographers, and welcome back to those of you continuing into Year 13.

Try and make use of the blog as much as you can - the labels at the bottoms of posts will take you back to previous posts on a particular topic, so use those as well as the recent posts.

For shorter and more frequent geographical gems (usually news stories) you can follow geogtastic on Twitter @geogtastic.

If you don't have the code for the Edmodo group www.edmodo.com, let me know and I'll make sure you have the details you need to sign up.

There's still time to enter the Young Geographer of the Year Competition... See post below for more details...

Young Geographer of the Year 2011

Could you be the RGS's Young Geographer of the Year 2011? Click on the flyer below to go to the RGS's website where there are more details about the competition and what you need to do.

Study Geography...

I've posted about the RGS's Study Geography website several times before but I understand that Yr12 started thinking about all things UCAS yesterday, and several of you are thinking about Geography at uni, it was worth another mention.

Plant Invaders Week!

More on invasive species:

NT - Plant Invaders Week from National Trust on Vimeo.

Himalayan balsam again....

Looking for some bits and pieces on the Peak District website for Year 10, and I came across this.... So if you're bored of revision over half-term, go and help get rid of one of those invasive species you've been learning about!!

And another one...

Ecosystems/biodiversity article, that is. http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2010/may/23/top-10-new-species-2010

Yr13 - Biodiversity

Two very interesting and useful reports from the Guardian about the importance of biodiversity:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/may/21/biodiversity-un-report
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/may/21/un-biodiversity-economic-report

and an editorial here.

Make sure you investigate the links within the articles as well as the articles themselves.

Yr13 - a couple of Ecosystems bits and pieces...

News article from the BBC about urban trees helping migrating birds (link to the wildlife corridor concept) here.

And after my comment on Twitter about hoping that you lot were watching the One Show last night, I am now being followed by an environmental consultancy who seem to like eating Japanese Knotweed. Make of that what you will. Their website is here.

Good luck!!

First of the summer's Geography exams tomorrow....

The very best of luck to you - not that you will need it!!

Remember, read the questions carefully, understand and follow the command words, use the resources, plan your time carefully - a mark a minute, don't feel that you have to answer the questions in order (and DON'T answer questions about coasts or energy...) and check your work!!

See you in the morning... :)

Shell seeks to drill in Arctic seas...

Interesting article here about Shell's proposals to drill for oil in the Arctic, despite the current situation in the Gulf of Mexico... A nice extra little "golden nugget" for those of you doing GEOG1 on Friday! :)

Yr12 - Bangladesh flooding

Apologies that I forgot to post the link to the Bangladesh flooding documentary that I told you about on Thursday. It's here. For some reason, it stops very abruptly near the end, but there is still plenty of detail before that point.

Yr12 Flooding and Flood Management

The Environment Agency's Flooding pages have lots of useful information about flood risk, how to prepare for a flood, and about what they are doing to manage flooding. You can also access summaries of their Catchment Flood Management Plans - the one that covers Boscastle is the East Cornwall CFMP.

You might like to have a look at the Met Office's "Past weather events" pages too - useful stuff here about the meteorological conditions behind various interesting weather events as far back as 1990, but including Boscastle, the 2005 Carlisle and North Yorkshire floods, the 2007 floods that affected much of the country, and the Cumbria floods of 2009.

Savanna Grasslands

Tomorrow we will be having a look at the savanna grasslands of Tanzania, and considering the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

The Serengeti National Park website has lots of information about the conservation and management of the area and the conflict between the different interest groups involved.

Amazon Conservation/Sustainable Development

Another useful link here, focusing on the Mamiraua reserve - will add a bit more specific detail to the info you have already from the textbook.

An oakless Britain?

Interesting article from the BBC about our disappearing oak trees...

Does it matter?

More rainforests...

The article we talked about this morning about condoms "saving the world's forests" is here.

The essay question that you'll be answering either on Friday or next week is "Development, biodiversity and sustainability in the tropical rainforest biome are incompatible goals. Discuss." You don't need to write anything before I see you next, but be having a think about it...

Yr13 - Rainforest Action Network

Thanks to Ellie for this link http://ran.org/

Yr13 - Amazon tribes using technology to protect rainorest

Just come across this article about Amazon tribes using technology to protect the rainforest through "cultural mapping"...

(I found this via The Prince's Rainforests Project page on Facebook - worth a look as there seems to be lots of other potentially useful stuff on there too http://www.facebook.com/#!/rainforestSOS.)