An overview of Global Forest Watch

When teachers use Global Forest Watch (GFW) and land cover analysis in class, students gain a range of academic and real-world skills.

Link to the website: https://www.globalforestwatch.org/

Here’s how students benefit:

1. Real-World Relevance

• Understanding current environmental issues: Students explore deforestation, biodiversity loss, and land-use change using up-to-date global data.

• Connecting local to global: They can examine forests in their region and compare them with other parts of the world, making learning more meaningful.

2. Critical Thinking and Inquiry Skills

• Students learn to ask questions, analyze patterns, and interpret satellite data.

• They assess causes (e.g., agriculture, mining) and consequences (e.g., CO₂ emissions, habitat loss) of land cover change.

3. Spatial Thinking

• Using interactive maps and layers, students develop map-reading and geospatial literacy.

• They practice identifying, comparing, and interpreting spatial patterns—essential skills in geography and environmental science.

4. Scientific and Data Literacy

• GFW promotes the use of real datasets, helping students interpret graphs, satellite imagery, and land cover categories.

• They practice evidence-based reasoning, similar to how scientists work.

5. Digital Competence

• Students use online platforms and geotechnologies—key 21st-century skills.

• They learn how to navigate tools, adjust map layers, filter data, and visualize change over time.

6. Citizenship and Environmental Responsibility

• GFW fosters a sense of responsibility and agency by showing the effects of human activities on forests.

• Students reflect on how their consumption (e.g., palm oil, soy) relates to global deforestation.

7. Interdisciplinary Learning

• It supports cross-curricular connections: geography, biology, environmental science, ICT, and even economics.

• Students might analyze deforestation linked to global trade or climate change, integrating multiple subjects.