| Abstrakt: |
Invasive species are a major ecological and economic problem at the global scale, and education plays a major role in raising awareness and combating these species’ future spread. There are complex management and economic issues associated with preventing the spread of invasive species, and these are challenging to teach in a way that students can understand and apply. Several educators have developed games to help students identify invaders and understand their impacts, but no published examples build a game around their global spread and economic impact. I describe a game in which groups allocate resources to protect their island nation from invasive species through prevention and mitigation strategies. In this game, invasive species are introduced to each island; if their establishment is not prevented, they have a negative economic impact and spread to other islands. Groups compete to try to lose the least amount of money, and the class tries to minimize the overall amount of money lost. By playing multiple times and allowing students to discuss strategies and see those strategies play out, students gain an in-depth understanding of the complexities of invasive species management and economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
