Activity Book

Biodiversity

A book of activities celebrating the diversity of wildlife.

Biodiversity Fact File

Biodiversity means the variety of life of earth. The word itself

comes from ‘bio’ referring to living things and ‘diversity’ meaning

variety. There are two ways to look at biodiversity. Firstly, the

variety of environments on our planet, such as mountains, seas,

forests, deserts, grasslands, etc. Secondly, is the variety of

species found in each of these environments –different types of

plants, animals and other organisms.

Across the globe, biodiversity is in decline.

Scientists have estimated that we have lost

60% of mammals, birds, fish and reptiles since

1970 and predict 1 million species are

threatened with extinction over the coming

decades to centuries. However, not all species

are in decline. Some are doing well. It’s all

about how vulnerable they are to change.

Some environments have a higher variety

of species than others. When there are

lots of different species living in one place,

there is high biodiversity. If there are only

a few species, there is low biodiversity.

The amount of life on Earth has changed over its 4.5 billion year

lifespan. There have been times when there was no life at all and

times when there are billions and billions of species. 50 years ago

there was much higher biodiversity then there is now.

Biodiversity Fact File

Where species live, what they eat and how much they are impacted

by human activities can all affect how well they do. Research has

suggested that marine species are disappearing faster than land

species. Without significant changes, more than half of the world’s

marine species may be on the brink of extinction by 2100.

Since 1970 the human population

has doubled. This has led to

pollution, destruction of natural

habitats, over-fishing and hunting,

competition from invasive species

and climate change.

Species aren’t able to adapt quickly enough to these changes and

the result is widespread biodiversity loss. This is a concern as

biodiversity provides us with the clean air, fresh water, food and

resources that we need. It helps us fight climate change by taking

carbon dioxide from the air.

Governments from all around the

world are co-operating to try to

halt the loss and restore

biodiversity. For example, rules

can be set around farming,

fishing, mining, house building

and the many other activities

impacting natural environments.

Biodiversity Bingo

How many different types of plants and animals do you think live

near you? If you go outside or look out of the window, you may be

surprised by the variety of life all around you. Why not use this

sheet to see how many of the bingo boxes you can tick off?

Biodiversity Wordsearch

NATURE

EXTINCT

ENVIRONMENT

WILDLIFE

SUSTAINABLE

CLIMATE

CONSERVATION

VARIETY

RESTORE

BIODIVERSITY

HABITAT

SPECIES

Coastal Butterfly Identification

A range of different butterflies can be spotted in coastal habitats

such as sand dunes and grasslands or woodland edges. Size,

colour and markings can all help with identification.

One of the earliest butterflies to

appear in spring. The male is white

with orange wing tips and a black

spot. When the wings are closed it has

a distinctive mottled green pattern.

Look out for patches of wild garlic or

cuckoo flower which its caterpillars

feed on.

Orange Tip

Red Admiral

Distinctive large black butterfly

with a red stripe across its

forewings and red fringing on its

hind wings. Emerging around

July it flies until November. It is

found in a wide range of

habitats. The common nettle is

the favourite foodplant of the

larvae.

Peacock

Like peacock feathers it has striking

big blue eyespots on its fore and hind

wings which evolved to startle

predators. It’s one of our most

common butterflies and is widespread.

Its larvae feed on common nettles.

© Susan Davies

Small Tortoiseshell

One of the first butterflies to

emerge in spring. It is medium

sized, reddish-orange in colour with

a ribbon of blue and black markings

bordering the fringes of its wings.

Males are territorial and may be

seen chasing each other around

their habitats.Wall Brown

On the wing between April to

October this butterfly is found in

sunny places such as open

grassland, sand dunes and rocky

foreshore. It basks in the reflected

sun on walls, paths and bare

patches of earth to heat itself up.

Coastal Butterfly Identification

Small Skipper

Common Blue

You’ll be lucky to find this small,

orange winged butterfly. It can be

found basking or flitting through

rough grassland and sand dunes in

the peak of summer, feeding on

knapweeds and thistles.

The male has bright blue wings with a

white fringe, the female is browner

and secretive. This species likes

sheltered spots within coastal dunes

and undercliffs. You may spot it

feeding on plants such as clover and

yellow bird’s foot trefoil plant.

Coastal Butterfly Identification

Small Copper

Beautiful copper coloured forewings

with dark brown flecks and fringing. It

flies from April to October and can be

found feeding on ragwort and thistles.

The males are territorial and will bask

on bare ground or stones waiting on

females to pass.

Images © Iain Cowe - orange tip, common blue, small copper and Susan Davies—red admiral, peacock, small

tortoiseshell, wall brown and small skipper

Red Admiral Butterfly Colouring

Try colouring in this beautiful butterfly.

Food Chain Craft

Puffins may be cute seabirds but they are predators. They get energy by eating prey (other animals) like fish. Fish are also predators because they eat plankton (microscopic plants and animals). The movement of energy from one living thing to another in this way is called a food chain. Create your own hanging food chain by following the instructions below.

Print out the template (found further on the activity pack) and colour in the puffin, fish and plankton. (There’s no need to colour the centre of the puffin).

Cut out the puffin, fish and plankton.

Poke a hole in the centre of the puffin and cut out the centre.

Food Chain Mobile Craft

Make sure the fish hangs in the middle of the puffin’s stomach, then stick the string down on the back of the puffin’s head with Sellotape.

Using a hole punch, make a hole at the top of your puffin and the fish, then thread wool or string through both holes and tie at the end.

Stick the plankton onto the fish (as shown in the image).

Food Chain Mobile Craft

Puffin Template

Word Challenge

How many smaller words can you make from the word:

BIODIVERSITYLook at the letters in the word above. Can you choose and

rearrange letters to make new shorter words? Below are a

few of examples to get you started.

dive

in

yes

Biodiversity True or False

1. Biodiversity was higher 50

years ago than it is now

True or False

2. Climate change does not

impact upon biodiversity

True or False

3. When a species disappears it

is said to be ‘extinct’

True or False

4. Human activity can affect the

variety of wildlife close by

True or False

5. Pollution can help to increase

the biodiversity of our planet

True or False

6. A food chain is a series of

organisms each dependent upon

the next for food

True or False

7. The more species that exist,

the greater the biodiversity

True or False

8. The world’s human population

has fallen in recent decades

True or False

9. Marine habitats have not

experienced any biodiversity loss

True or False

10. We can all play a part in

helping to save biodiversity

True or False

1.True 2. False 3. True 4. True 5. False. 6. True 7. True 8. False 9. False 10. True

Rockpool Matching Game

A diverse range of plants and animals can be found in a single

rockpool. How many species can you identify? Have a go at

matching the photo to the species name below by drawing a line

between each pair.

Learn more about wildlife here:

www.seabird.org/wildlife

Crab

Starfish

Limpet

Seaweed

Anemone

Mussels