This Ecosystem Risk Decision Challenge will help your students understand how biodiversity, habitat loss, climate change sensitivity, human impact, ecosystem services, and conservation trade-offs can affect environmental decision-making. This activity gives teachers an easy, NO PREP way to have students analyze ecology data, compare different ecosystems, and make an evidence-based decision about which ecosystem should receive conservation support first.

Students investigate a real-world style conservation problem where a Regional Conservation Council has funding to support only one ecosystem restoration project. Students analyze multiple Information/Data Sets related to wetlands, forests, and coral reefs, including ecosystem benefits, biodiversity data, habitat loss, climate change sensitivity, and community conservation factors. They then use the evidence to decide which ecosystem is most at risk and should receive support first.

Students answer the question:

Which ecosystem should receive conservation support first?

Students choose between three possible recommendations using information in the activity:

Option A: Support the wetland restoration project first.

Option B: Support the forest restoration project first.

Option C: Support the coral reef restoration project first.

How It Works

Students use the provided background reading and evidence sets to:

• Compare wetland, forest, and coral reef ecosystems
• Analyze biodiversity data
• Compare habitat loss and ecosystem damage
• Identify how climate change can affect different ecosystems
• Explore how human impacts can threaten ecosystems
• Consider ecosystem benefits such as water filtration, carbon storage, wildlife habitat, fisheries, and coastal protection
• Compare conservation project benefits and challenges
• Evaluate trade-offs when conservation funding is limited
• Use evidence to support a science-based decision

This activity moves students from background reading → data analysis → evidence comparison → final decision writing.

Click here to download my Mosquito Control Ecology Decision Challenge Activity for FREE

You can find this challenge as well as all my other Ecology Challenges in my Real-World Ecology Decision Challenges Bundle. Click here to see the included topics and learn more.

Topics Students Explore

• Ecosystem risk
• Biodiversity
• Habitat loss
• Climate change sensitivity
• Human impact on ecosystems
• Wetland ecosystems
• Forest ecosystems
• Coral reef ecosystems
• Ecosystem services
• Conservation planning
• Restoration projects
• Environmental trade-offs
• Evidence-based decision-making
• Real-world ecology problem solving

What’s Included

✅ Complete Ecosystem Risk Decision Challenge activity

✅ Student background reading

✅ Multiple Information/Data Sets

✅ Evidence analysis questions

✅ Final decision writing task

✅ Early finisher extension activities

✅ Complete answer key

✅ Grading rubric

✅ DIGITAL and PRINT ready versions

✅ Fully editable file

Perfect for:

• Ecosystems units
• Biodiversity lessons
• Human impact on ecosystems lessons
• Climate change lessons
• Environmental science lessons
• Conservation and restoration activities
• Habitat loss lessons
• Data analysis practice
• Evidence-based writing
• Small group collaboration
• Sub plans or review days
• NGSS life science lessons

Teacher-Friendly Features

• NO PREP and ready to use
• Builds data analysis and evidence-based reasoning skills
• Encourages students to support claims with evidence
• Connects ecology concepts to a realistic conservation funding decision
• Includes built-in assessment with a rubric
• Works well for independent work, partners, small groups, or class discussion
• Includes extension options for early finishers
• Editable so you can adjust the activity for your students

This activity is a great way to help students practice analyzing evidence, comparing environmental risk factors, and making a science-based decision about which ecosystem should receive conservation support first.