Minimum Impact on Nature | World Scouting

Explore what will happen locally and globally if we continue to cut down rainforest at the same rate as we do now.

Develop these key competencies

Systems thinking
Anticipate the Future

Materials Needed

Activity Set of cards "A world without rainforest"
Activity Set "17 activities for 17 goals"

Activity development

Facilitator explains that, while much is being done to protect the rainforest, it is still under threat of destruction. Every minute an area the equivalent to 25 football pitches is being destroyed. This activity shows what will happen if we continue to destroy the rainforest at this rate.
Organize participants into groups of 4 or 5 and give them a set of ‘A World without Rainforest’ cards. They must sort the cards into 2 categories: ‘How forest clearance affects the people, plants, and animals that live in the rainforest’ and ‘How forest clearance affects us all’. They should have 7 cards in the ‘How forest clearance affects us all’ pile.
Now, they must rank the 7 cards according to which issues they think are most essential and which are least important. They can rank the cards with the 2 most important at the top and the 2 least important at the bottom.
Groups can share their most important and least important issues and discuss their choices.
Use the information from the cards to discuss the impacts on forests, people, biodiversity and climate change locally and globally.
Encourage them to explore how they are connected to the issue – for example, by using food and cosmetics containing palm oil, leather goods, and timber products.