'Endangered Species Day' photo (c) 2013, USFWS Mountain-Prairie - license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Today, May 22nd, has been named The International Day for Biological Diversity by the United Nations. Started in 2006 by the U.S. Congress, Endangered Species Day is the third Friday of May.

Here are my choices for The Best Resources For World Biodiversity Day (that are accessible to English Language Learners):

The Best Sites To Learn About Pandas

The Best Sites For Learning About Polar Bears

ESL Holiday Lessons has an online lesson for ELL’s.

Loss of Nature Will Damage Economies is another lesson from Breaking News English.

Portraits Of America’s Endangered Species is a slideshow from NPR.

Bagheera may be the best resource of all for information on endangered species.

Here are good materials that would require teacher modification to make them accessible to ELL’s:

World’s biodiversity ‘crisis’ needs action, says UN is from the BBC.

Nature loss ‘to damage economies’ is from the BBC.

Which animals are in danger? is the title of a series of very accessible articles on endangered species from the CBBC Newsround.

Rarest of the rarest: top 10 lost amphibians is a slideshow from The Guardian.

A Directory of Rare Wonders is an interactive from The New York Times.

Endangered Species Ecotourism: Developing Citizen Science Travel Itineraries is a lesson plan from The New York Times Learning Network.

IUCN red list 2011 – in pictures is from The Guardian and highlights endangered species.

World’s most extraordinary species mapped for the first time – interactive is from The Guardian.

Here’s an impressive infographic from the World Bank. You can get a larger version here:

biodiversity-infographic-510x1801

A Disappearing Planet is a great interactive from Propublica.

Biodiversity: Life ­– a status report is an interactive from Nature.

Red List: the world’s most threatened species – interactive is from The Guardian.

World Wildlife Day 2015: 5 critically endangered species dying out in the wild

Why is biodiversity so important? is the title of a new TED-Ed video and lesson.

In Pieces is a nice interactive.

See 17 Animals on the Verge of Going Extinct is from TIME.

Vanishing: The Extinction Crisis Is Far Worse Than You Think is an important – and depressing – new CNN multimedia interactive.

It’s quite ambitious, though perhaps slightly confusing in its navigation tools.

Fighting Extinction: Researching and Designing Solutions to Protect Endangered Species is a lesson plan from The New York Times Learning Network.

The National Geographic Photo Ark is a interactive Google Earth project done in conjunction with….National Geographic.

Here’s how they describe it:

The National Geographic Photo Ark, led by photographer Joel Sartore, is a multiyear effort to document every species living in the world’s zoos and wildlife sanctuaries, inspire action through education, and help save wildlife by supporting on-the-ground conservation efforts.

Species in Pieces

America’s Most Endangered Species: Celebrating America’s Landmark Environmental Legislation is a new interactive the NatureServe organization.

Nature’s emergency: Where we are in five graphics is from The BBC.

Infographic: Humans Threatening 1 Million Species With Extinction | Statista You will find more infographics at Statista

 

Infographic: Global Wildlife Populations Suffer Catastrophic Collapse | Statista You will find more infographics at Statista

On the Decline: A Look at Earth’s Biodiversity Loss, By Region is an infographic by Visual Capitalist.

On the brink is an interactive from Reuters.

Infographic: Threatened With Extinction | Statista You will find more infographics at Statista

The Collapse of Insects is an interactive from Reuters that introduces itself with this line:

The most diverse group of organisms on the planet are in trouble, with recent research suggesting insect populations are declining at an unprecedented rate.

 

Suggestions are welcome…

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