Support for conservation increases with increased awareness and understanding of the natural environment and a heightened sense of stewardship. As the Canadian population becomes increasingly urban and culturally heterogeneous, we explore the use of ecological models to teach about the importance of protecting the biodiversity of natural areas and to illustrate the important role of science in management decisions. Here, we present “Adaptive Prairie”, an ecological simulation model, developed as an enquiry based learning tool for high school students. Based on a computer simulation, the program challenges students to improve the ecological integrity of Grasslands National Park, Canada using a combination of grazing, prescribed fire, and prairie restoration, and measures their success from the health of endangered species protected within the Park's boundaries. Educational activities are divided into pre-activity, engagement, and post-activity sections, and include lesson plans to facilitate active learning. The specific learning objectives of Adaptive Prairie include: exploring natural interactions between elements of grassland ecosystems; understanding the role of fire and grazing in the ecology of mixed-grass prairies; learning about the impacts of non-native species and their restoration; and using scientific tools to support management decisions.

Results/Conclusions

Based on a review of existing curricula, the Adaptive Prairie model is compatible with learning outcomes identified in senior science courses in western Canada. These include the study of biotic and abiotic elements of ecosystems, population dynamics, community interactions, and plant succession. Other topics integrated within the model, including ecosystem science, biodiversity, and sustainability are compatible with high school curricula in all other Canadian provinces and territories. Ongoing work continues to explore methods of analyzing patterns of student interaction with the simulation in order to better understand their perceptions of conservation programs ongoing in Grasslands National Park. By engaging students in actively learning about the complexity of ecosystem management and about research conducted in the Park, we hope to teach students about prairie ecosystems, increase their awareness of ongoing research, and build support for conservation science.