Bring your students on an underwater adventure into the coral reef ecosystem! Whether you're exploring the vast beauty of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia or diving into the rich, biodiverse waters of Indonesia, coral reefs are some of the most vibrant and important ecosystems on Earth.
✨ Perfect for grades 3–8, here’s what you need to bring ecosystems to life:
- Iconic BBC Videos: Share the clips on this page to introduce the location, plants, animals, and climate of the coral reefs. (Don't miss the tusk fish and octopuses!) Brought to you by world-class BBC programs like Planet Earth, Blue Planet, Animal Babies, and Life.
- Free Printable: Use the Coral Reef Brochure Template to help students pull it all together in an ecosystem report with facts they’ve learned (and a little extra research).
It’s everything you need to make ecosystems easy to teach and truly memorable for your students.
Guide your students on a journey through the desert ecosystem! From the sweeping sands of the Namib and Kalahari in southern Africa, to the dry heart of Australia’s Outback, and the rocky cold of the Gobi, deserts come in many forms.
✨ Perfect for grades 3–8, here’s what you need to bring ecosystems to life:
- Iconic BBC Videos: Share the clips on this page to introduce the location, plants, animals, and climate of the desert. (Don't miss the lions and lizards!) Brought to you by world-class BBC programs like Planet Earth, Wilderness With Simon Reeve, Africa, and Seven Worlds, One Planet.
- Free Printable: Use the Desert Brochure Template to help students pull it all together in an ecosystem report with facts they’ve learned (and a little extra research).
It’s everything you need to make ecosystems easy to teach and truly memorable for your students.
In Kakadu National Park, Biodiversity Hot Spot, host Simon Reeve explores this large national park in Australia. The park is teeming with life, but it used to be home to even more species before an invasive species came in. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Australia With Simon Reeve, a show in which Reeves goes Down Under to learn all about the animals that make Australia amazing.
In Florida’s Incredible Biodiversity, Florida’s unique geography and climate make it one of the United States’ most biodiverse places to visit. This video is excerpted from BBC's Natural World: Florida - America's Animal Paradise, a series displaying Florida’s diverse wildlife and its resilience against increasing environmental threats.
In The Rich Biodiversity of Madagascar, the narrator explains that due to its age and isolation, the island of Madagascar is home to many species that aren’t found anywhere else on Earth. Over 100 different types of lemurs have evolved from a common ancestor. The indri, ringtail, bamboo, and sifaka lemurs have each adapted to different habitats on the island. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
The article "Habitats and Ecosystems: Understanding Their Differences and Impact on Biodiversity" from BBC's Discover Wildlife explains the differences between habitats, ecosystems, environments, and niches, as well as how these concepts affect biodiversity and the importance of understanding them for conservation efforts.
Step into a place like no other. First watch The Biodiversity of Madagascar, a short clip from the award-winning BBC series Planet Earth. Sir David Attenborough takes you into Madagascar, home to many species that aren’t found anywhere else on Earth. Meet indri, ringtail, bamboo, and sifaka lemurs, some of the over 100 different types of lemurs that have evolved from a common ancestor.
Once your students have watched the video, invite them to check for understanding with this quick, 8-question quiz!
In Biodiversity in Monterey Bay, scientist John Ryan discusses the deep underwater canyon in Monterey Bay. It is rich in nutrients and home to a great variety of life. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Natural World: Humpback Whales - A Detective Story, a documentary about our relationship with whales and their future alongside us.
In Building Urban Havens for Wildlife, narrator Sir David Attenborough shows how urban areas like Milan, Italy, and Singapore are designing spaces to support wildlife. By incorporating nature into city planning, these cities create habitats for wildlife, helping to preserve biodiversity and promote sustainability. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Protecting Madagascar, narrator Sir David Attenborough presents the incredible biodiversity of Madagascar’s rainforests and the urgent need to protect them. Learn how deforestation and habitat destruction are endangering species like the indri, one of the world’s largest lemurs. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Celebrate the incredible work of Sir David Attenborough — a storyteller who has helped millions of students and viewers explore the natural world. On the occasion of his 100th birthday on May 8, 2026, we honor his enormous accomplishments in the field of environmental advocacy and his role in revolutionizing nature documentaries.
This playlist brings together 10 unforgettable clips from landmark BBC series like Planet Earth, Blue Planet, and Frozen Planet. Each video showcases amazing wildlife, powerful storytelling, and moments that spark curiosity and wonder.
Perfect for the classroom or at home, these videos help students connect with nature, understand our planet, and feel inspired to protect it.
It's not often you see people really excited about seaweed (unless it's wrapped around all-you-can-eat sushi), but a tiny seaweed growing off the coast of Cornwall — a rugged coastal region in southwest England — has got scientists buzzing.
Divers found a new type of seaweed growing on a larger, coral-like seaweed called maerl. Well, it's not really "new" in the sense of just appearing — Professor Christine Maggs had been using it to try to solve a scientific puzzle for about 40 years. Four decades! It took so long because the seaweed was so small that it was difficult to collect a large enough sample to gather molecular data and sequence its DNA, which was necessary to confirm exactly what it was.
Once the DNA work was finally complete, the seaweed was accepted into the collection at London's Natural History Museum — one of the world's leading scientific institutions, similar in scale to the Smithsonian in the U.S. — and officially recognized in scientific literature as an entirely new species. Professor Maggs probably took a long overdue celebratory nap.
But the discovery is about more than naming one tiny organism. Researchers say maerl beds support a lot of biodiversity, and seaweeds can provide nursery habitats for economically important fish. That means protecting these underwater ecosystems could also help protect the other species that depend on them. The best kind of two-for-one deal.
Bring your students on an underwater adventure into the coral reef ecosystem! Whether you're exploring the vast beauty of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia or diving into the rich, biodiverse waters of Indonesia, coral reefs are some of the most vibrant and important ecosystems on Earth.
✨ Perfect for grades 3–8, here’s what you need to bring ecosystems to life:
- Iconic BBC Videos: Share the clips on this page to introduce the location, plants, animals, and climate of the coral reefs. (Don't miss the tusk fish and octopuses!) Brought to you by world-class BBC programs like Planet Earth, Blue Planet, Animal Babies, and Life.
- Free Printable: Use the Coral Reef Brochure Template to help students pull it all together in an ecosystem report with facts they’ve learned (and a little extra research).
It’s everything you need to make ecosystems easy to teach and truly memorable for your students.
Guide your students on a journey through the desert ecosystem! From the sweeping sands of the Namib and Kalahari in southern Africa, to the dry heart of Australia’s Outback, and the rocky cold of the Gobi, deserts come in many forms.
✨ Perfect for grades 3–8, here’s what you need to bring ecosystems to life:
- Iconic BBC Videos: Share the clips on this page to introduce the location, plants, animals, and climate of the desert. (Don't miss the lions and lizards!) Brought to you by world-class BBC programs like Planet Earth, Wilderness With Simon Reeve, Africa, and Seven Worlds, One Planet.
- Free Printable: Use the Desert Brochure Template to help students pull it all together in an ecosystem report with facts they’ve learned (and a little extra research).
It’s everything you need to make ecosystems easy to teach and truly memorable for your students.
In Kakadu National Park, Biodiversity Hot Spot, host Simon Reeve explores this large national park in Australia. The park is teeming with life, but it used to be home to even more species before an invasive species came in. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Australia With Simon Reeve, a show in which Reeves goes Down Under to learn all about the animals that make Australia amazing.
In Florida’s Incredible Biodiversity, Florida’s unique geography and climate make it one of the United States’ most biodiverse places to visit. This video is excerpted from BBC's Natural World: Florida - America's Animal Paradise, a series displaying Florida’s diverse wildlife and its resilience against increasing environmental threats.
In The Rich Biodiversity of Madagascar, the narrator explains that due to its age and isolation, the island of Madagascar is home to many species that aren’t found anywhere else on Earth. Over 100 different types of lemurs have evolved from a common ancestor. The indri, ringtail, bamboo, and sifaka lemurs have each adapted to different habitats on the island. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
The article "Habitats and Ecosystems: Understanding Their Differences and Impact on Biodiversity" from BBC's Discover Wildlife explains the differences between habitats, ecosystems, environments, and niches, as well as how these concepts affect biodiversity and the importance of understanding them for conservation efforts.
Step into a place like no other. First watch The Biodiversity of Madagascar, a short clip from the award-winning BBC series Planet Earth. Sir David Attenborough takes you into Madagascar, home to many species that aren’t found anywhere else on Earth. Meet indri, ringtail, bamboo, and sifaka lemurs, some of the over 100 different types of lemurs that have evolved from a common ancestor.
Once your students have watched the video, invite them to check for understanding with this quick, 8-question quiz!
In Biodiversity in Monterey Bay, scientist John Ryan discusses the deep underwater canyon in Monterey Bay. It is rich in nutrients and home to a great variety of life. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Natural World: Humpback Whales - A Detective Story, a documentary about our relationship with whales and their future alongside us.
In Building Urban Havens for Wildlife, narrator Sir David Attenborough shows how urban areas like Milan, Italy, and Singapore are designing spaces to support wildlife. By incorporating nature into city planning, these cities create habitats for wildlife, helping to preserve biodiversity and promote sustainability. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Protecting Madagascar, narrator Sir David Attenborough presents the incredible biodiversity of Madagascar’s rainforests and the urgent need to protect them. Learn how deforestation and habitat destruction are endangering species like the indri, one of the world’s largest lemurs. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Celebrate the incredible work of Sir David Attenborough — a storyteller who has helped millions of students and viewers explore the natural world. On the occasion of his 100th birthday on May 8, 2026, we honor his enormous accomplishments in the field of environmental advocacy and his role in revolutionizing nature documentaries.
This playlist brings together 10 unforgettable clips from landmark BBC series like Planet Earth, Blue Planet, and Frozen Planet. Each video showcases amazing wildlife, powerful storytelling, and moments that spark curiosity and wonder.
Perfect for the classroom or at home, these videos help students connect with nature, understand our planet, and feel inspired to protect it.
It's not often you see people really excited about seaweed (unless it's wrapped around all-you-can-eat sushi), but a tiny seaweed growing off the coast of Cornwall — a rugged coastal region in southwest England — has got scientists buzzing.
Divers found a new type of seaweed growing on a larger, coral-like seaweed called maerl. Well, it's not really "new" in the sense of just appearing — Professor Christine Maggs had been using it to try to solve a scientific puzzle for about 40 years. Four decades! It took so long because the seaweed was so small that it was difficult to collect a large enough sample to gather molecular data and sequence its DNA, which was necessary to confirm exactly what it was.
Once the DNA work was finally complete, the seaweed was accepted into the collection at London's Natural History Museum — one of the world's leading scientific institutions, similar in scale to the Smithsonian in the U.S. — and officially recognized in scientific literature as an entirely new species. Professor Maggs probably took a long overdue celebratory nap.
But the discovery is about more than naming one tiny organism. Researchers say maerl beds support a lot of biodiversity, and seaweeds can provide nursery habitats for economically important fish. That means protecting these underwater ecosystems could also help protect the other species that depend on them. The best kind of two-for-one deal.