Study Areas

Five different study areas can be investigated through the EMAP project. These are Hydrology, Atmosphere, Soil, Land Cover, and Phenology (Seasonal effects).

We encourage students and teachers to apply an inquiry learning approach to their environmental investigations, which will then lead to some form of action being done 'for' the environment. EMAP also complements many existing environmental programmes in schools, and can be used for CREST awards, Science and Technology Fair Projects etc...

NWP

The National Waterways Project provides access to water quality monitoring activities for use in rivers, streams, and other fresh waters in your local district.

GLOBE

GLOBE is a world-wide hands-on, primary and secondary school-based education and science programme. The programme provides the opportunity for students to take scientifically valid measurements in the five study fields mentioned above and then report their data through the internet into an international database. There are also opportunities for international collaboration between countries for projects.

Through EMAP, both these programmes enhance the implementation of the New Zealand Curriculum and support environmental education. Learning experiences provided via these programmes focus on environmental monitoring and environmental education which enable students to:

  • learn how to gather, record, interpret and utilise data;
  • develop an understanding of the importance of looking after the environment;
  • and be encouraged to take responsibility for their environment.

It is important to note for schools involved in EMAP that you do not need to cover everything that is on offer. You merely just need to choose the activities that fit the objectives of the project that you are undertaking - leading towards an integrated catchment management (ICM) approach. This may involve activities from one study area or from all five – depending on your project.

Want to get involved? Need training? Please email emap@rsnz.org and we can look at holding a workshop in your region.