Read the following articles-

1. Reshaping Eden: the future of biodiversity.

2. Many scientists agree that we're headed for another mass extinction like the one that wiped out the dinosaurs.

3. How to save the world's most endangered animals.

4. Apes in a changing world - the effects of global warming on the behaviour and distribution of African apes J. Lehmann et al. Global warming and ape biogeography.

You should, therefore, read the articles carefully and critically; think about and maybe discuss with others the ideas they contain. Here are some suggestions to help you focus your thinking:

· What topics are common to all the readings?

· Which issue or idea discussed in these articles do you find most interesting?

· What evidence or support from your own experience could you use to develop your essay?

· What evidence or support do the readings provide?

In defining a FOCUS and DEVELOPING your ideas (see the attached Evaluation Standards for the meaning of these terms), you may want to consider these questions as well:

· What social, political, or economic questions do you see raised by the articles? How do you respond to them?

· What value questions do you see raised? How do you respond to them? Can you articulate an arguable claim about these questions?

· Are there aesthetic or scientific dimensions to the issue that would be interesting to raise?