Imagine the biodiversity of temporary wetlands in European boreal forests, a science-art pedagogical kit made by the team of the POOL project

Intermittently flooded areas, called temporary wetlands, are usually small, shallow aquatic features. Their main characteristic is that they dry out seasonally or sometimes for several years, often every year and sometimes unpredictably. They are therefore particularly sensitive to global change, especially in the boreal areas. They are known to host specific flora and fauna adapted to the seasonality of the water (Keddy, 2010; Laitinen, 2008) with herbaceous and woody vegetation, sometimes temporary and often dense. They are typically devoid of fish, allowing the development of amphibians, invertebrates and flora that are sensitive to fish predation (Dixneuf et al., 2021) and fish destruction (Crivelli, 1983). For instance, studies carried out in Finland showed the prevalence of the common newt, Lissotriton vulgaris, the endangered great crested newt and the red-listed mayfly Paraleptophlebia werneri in these habitat types (Salmela and Savolainen, 2013; Vehkaoja and Nummi, 2015; Vuorio, 2016). Seasonal wetlands are also widely used by terrestrial vertebrates as refuge, foraging sites and water point at different stages of their life cycle (Keddy, 2010). For example, they are used as foraging sites by ducks, especially Teal Anas crecca (Nummi et al., 2019), during the pairing season (Holopainen et al., 2014). Hence, seasonal wetlands are hotspots of biodiversity (Keddy, 2010). However, the lack of rigor and coherence in the regulatory protection of small aquatic resources remain a global phenomenon. The EU Water Framework Directive is generally not implemented to water bodies and wetlands of less than 50 ha. Hence, temporary wetlands have been largely overlooked despite their particular characteristics. For instance, in Finland, low-productive seasonal wetlands, “Suoarot" in Finnish (code S08 in (Kontula and Raunio, 2018)) and seasonal ponds “Kausikuivat lammet” (code V2.09 in (Kontula and Raunio, 2018)) are classified under the abbreviation DD_data deficiency. They are considered distinctive habitat due to their recurrent drying up, typically occurring during summer months. Hence, in October 2018 (recall in 2020), the RAMSAR Convention published the Resolution XIII alerting about the urgency of conservation and management of small wetlands. The POOL project focus is temporary wetlands in European boreal forests.

This pedagogical kit can be used to initiate children to the importance of small and temporary hotspots of biodiversity in the boreal forests. This kit has a particular emphasis for students at middle schools (years 6 to 9) but flexible enough to be used across most primary and secondary year levels. Several teaching sessions can be arranged by building the kit step by step though different topics such as:

1 – Geography

-            Definition of a wetlands

-            Occurrences of wetlands in the landscape

-            Different types of wetlands

-            Society and wetlands: perceptions, threats, impact, services

-            Wetlands and forest management (drainage, forest practices)

2 – Ecology

-            Invertebrates in the soil, on the soil, in the water and in the air

-            Biological cycle of aquatic invertebrates and the interface aquatic/terrestrial

-            Vertebrate diversity in the forest and food resources

-            Aquatic terrestrial food web

-            Hydroperiods, seasons and climate change

-            Waterbirds and forest birds (ducks and passerines)

-            Water resources in the forest

2 – Art

-            Representation of nature

-            Aesthetic of nature

-            Perception and representation of nature beauty

-            Realism and imagination for nature protection and conservation

The final science-art lapbook will help kids to interact with what they learn about wetland biodiversity by reinforcing and better remember information with a visual review tool that can be narrated at home or to friends. It can also be used to development fine motor skills. Learning outcomes of this kit are also:

-            creativity since children are encouraged to express themselves through their work and make choices without adult direction,

-            social-emotional skills by making choices, keep attention and persistence (kit made on several teaching sessions), develop social relationships by working together, reconnect to the natural environment

-            communication

-            reasoning by placing the objects and making decisions, create the shapes, solve problems