69 What comes to mind when you think of the organisations below? Listen to some short presentations of four environmental organisations. Which presentation talks about which organisation? Write the numbers into the boxes. LISTENING 2 a 18 Bear with me b In groups, pick one organisation and prepare a short presentation on it. Don’t forget to include information about the organisation’s work in Austria. Expand your vocabulary: Conservation All of the organisations above work for conservation. Read the information below to find out what that means and why their work is so essential. SPEAKING 3 LANGUAGE 4 a Why do we need conservation organisations? A world population of almost eight billion has led to a rapid depletion of the earth’s natural resources. Global warming, destruction of the rainforest, industrial farming, air and water pollution, hazardous waste, the impacts of overpopulation as well as globalisation threaten the balance of the earth’s ecosystems. Life is becoming increasingly dangerous for humans, and animals and plants feel the effects of poaching and the degradation of their habitats. Over 28,000 species are currently considered at risk of extinction according to the IUCN1 Red List of Threatened Species. This is why conservation work is now more crucial than ever. If it weren’t for NGOs and activists advocating for biodiversity worldwide to ensure the survival of thousands of species, many of them would surely have died out already. Conservation efforts range from establishing nature reserves where animals and plants are protected to raising awareness among the public to reduce their carbon footprint. There is also active lobbying with governments for sustainable environmental actions such as the proper disposal of waste. Find the expressions in the text that match the following definitions: 1 dangerous 2 the illegal killing of animals 3 an area kept in a natural state to protect animals Write definitions of five more expressions and exchange them in class. Share your experiences and opinions about conservation organisations in small groups. b c SPEAKING 5 1 IUCN: (abbr. for) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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