Discovering Dragons
Bringing a threatened species into local classrooms
Community Participation - LP23-014
The issue
The Monaro basalt plain, south of Canberra, hosts the highly diverse ecological community of natural temperate grasslands. For many years now, these grasslands have become deeply fragmented, and simplified, leaving behind a very small number of remaining, in-tact areas. These provide a home to many fascinating plants and animals, one such example being the Monaro grassland earless dragon. These little dragons are now listed as threatened due to a range of factors including habitat loss due to land clearing, harmful land management regimes, feral animals and invasive weeds. However, the overarching issue, we found, was a lack of knowledge about this important, local ecological community.
The solution
After some brainstorming, a decision was reached to design an education program for local schools. We decided to incorporate art into this program, and worked on creating a 3D model of the grassland earless dragon, or GED, which could be used as an educational tool. By partnering with the University of Canberra and the Saving our Species Program, we sourced funds and expertise to have a lab specimen scanned and worked into a 3D file which could then be printed. We then worked with SOS to deliver the program. The school sessions included a presentation covering the GEDs habitat, diet, predators, key threatening factors, and physical characteristics, followed an ID exercise, and ending with a craft activity where each student paints their own model of a GED.
The impact
Over the course of this program we attended 5 local schools, delivering the program to around 140 students. The dragons have proven to be a wonderful flagship species when discussing the importance of maintaining grassland ecosystems. At the end of each session students mount their GEDs on a clump of native grass to display in classrooms and are provided with a pamphlet and sticker to take home for parents to see what the students are learning. Students have responded with enthusiasm to learning about an animal that lives in their area. By engaging students with the animals and plants which make up these ecosystems we build a deeper sense of belonging to, and caring for our native grasslands.
Key facts
- Monaro grassland earless dragons are endemic to the Monaro, even the neighboring Canberra dragon is genetically different.
- The Natural Temperate Grassland of the South Eastern Highlands ecological community was listed on 6 April 2016 as Critically Endangered.
- The extent of natural temperate grasslands has declined by more than 90% since non-indigenous settlement.
- The highly fragmented nature of this ecosystem has resulted in large reductions in the number and size of regional populations of many plants and animals, including local extinctions, and loss of ecosystem function.