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Environmental Change and Management

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In this full-day field-based program, students investigate environmental change and management in the Upper Nerang River Catchment, a key water supply region for the Gold Coast. The study focuses on the interactions between land use, riparian health, water quality, and biodiversity, helping students explore how human activity can drive environmental change.

Students will travel through the catchment, observing land use patterns as they ascend the valley towards the headwaters, providing valuable context for analysing ecosystem change.

The program includes stops at three contrasting sites.

  • Natural Bridge and Numinbah Hall offer rapid, observational fieldwork opportunities that expose students to distinctly different land cover types and management histories. These brief stops allow students to practise fieldwork skills, compare environmental conditions, and reflect on how human activity and conservation efforts have influenced riparian zones over time.
  • Bochow Park, the key data collection site, provides in-depth investigation of riparian condition on lowland private land using a modified Rapid Appraisal of Riparian Condition (RARC) tool and stream health indicators.

Students collect and analyse primary data across multiple environmental indicators (physical, chemical, biological, and vegetation-based), linking their findings to broader sustainability challenges such as nutrient runoff, habitat fragmentation, and weed invasion.

First Nations custodial knowledge is interwoven through the program to deepen understanding of Country and sustainable land management practices.

Key Concepts:

  • Investigate human-induced environmental changes, such as riparian degradation and its effect on waterway health.
  • Use fieldwork data to analyse patterns, trends, and relationships in environmental indicators.
  • Explore the influence of environmental worldviews and First Nations perspectives on management decisions.
  • Propose strategies to support sustainability using environmental, economic, and social criteria.​​

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Year 10 Curriculum Links


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Last reviewed 04 September 2025
Last updated 04 September 2025