Teaching students the import-ANTS of biosecurity!
Last year an opportunity arose staff from the National Browsing Ant Eradication Program Northern Territory (NBAEP NT) to collaborate with the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM) teachers from Bees Creek Primary School.
A pilot activity to encourage learning and awareness about invasive ant species, the importance of biosecurity and activities undertaken during an eradication program was developed for Year 5 and 6 students by the Bees Creek Primary School teachers and Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade’s (DITT) staff. This also helped the students develop skills and knowledge in data collection and analysis.
Each week during Term 1 in 2022, students learned about a different topic to support their upcoming activities. In Week 8, the teachers and members of the NBAEP NT team assisted the students to undertake surveillance of different areas of their schoolyard. The team included Surveillance Officers, Tito Khatiwada and Madhu KC, and Communication and Engagement Officer, Jaime Pappas. The Top End based students were interested in finding out what ant species were there, how many of each species and their locations. Students will use the information to map the data, analyse the results, research the species found and draw conclusions.
Students were incredibly enthusiastic, sometimes perhaps a bit too enthusiastic, scaring some ants away before the lids could be closed! ! However, the students, teachers and the NBAEP NT team still managed to capture 8 different species with a total of 209 ants. Out of those, 6 species were native and luckily, not a browsing ant in sight!
While this surveillance was not formally part of the NBAEP NT, it still contributes to the program’s negative data which assists in proving freedom. Proof of freedom activities are vital in demonstrating that there are no longer any browsing ants in the NT. Since the invasive species was first detected in the Darwin region, this is something the team has been working towards to meet the requirements to declare eradication in the future.
Once the students have completed their mapping and analysis, NBAEP NT plans to complete the learning in Term 2. Conclusions will be discussed and they will explore how information collected during pest species surveillance activities can shape the decisions that are made. This will give the students a real-world example of how scientific data is used and how it can make a difference in protecting the Territory’s environment and industries.
Being a pilot activity, it has given the NBAEP NT team a great opportunity to test the effectiveness of different ways of engaging with community groups. This collaboration with Bees Creek Primary School will help guide engagement activities for the remainder of the program and future biosecurity programs.
DITT would like to thank all the students and staff at Bees Creek Primary School who have been involved in helping keep the Territory safe from biosecurity threats.
