The article, ‘Aboriginal Australians co-existed with the megafauna for at least 17,000 years’ provides an explanation of current views on how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples coexisted with Australia’s species of massive land beasts (megafauna). It discusses how the extinction of many species of megafauna could be linked to human behaviour, climate change or a combined effect. The Conversation is an independent source of news and views, sourced from the academic and research community and delivered direct to the public.
Structure and features
The 'Aboriginal Australians co-existed with the megafauna for at least 17,000 years' resource:
- explains theories on megafauna extinction
- discusses processes used to gather evidence
- provides images that support understanding
- provides hyperlinks within the text to related content in other 'The Conversation' articles.
- links to associated articles and author details.
For teachers
This article and support material from the Australian Museum is an excellent opportunity to examine the symbiotic relationship between culture and the natural environment. Teachers would need to determine the capabilities of the class as to whether this source is appropriate for their cohort. Students could unpack the article identifying specific terminology and create a glossary and then respond to some of the understandings, misunderstandings and scientific systems used to gather evidence.
Students could use this resource as a study into understanding the ancient Australian landscape and then conduct a particular study, based on megafauna or traditional practices that showed an understanding and respect for the natural environment and its systems. Elements such as climate change can also be considered within this discussion as well as consideration and extended research into the fragile balance of food security and how it can be compromised by outliers. This learning could be applied to other situations or contexts for students to demonstrate deeper understanding.
Links and files
Teacher notes
This resource can be used within the study of geography in years 8 to 10 for 'Landforms and landscapes' (year 8), 'Biomes and food security' (year 9) and 'Environmental change and management' (year 10).
