Exploring how past land use affects current plant diversity in an ecosystem.

We applied the Four Dimensional Ecology Education (4DEE) Framework to create a teaching module for undergraduate courses in introductory ecology, restoration ecology, and environmental sciences. The module investigates how past land use changes continue to influence present-day species assemblages, providing students with an opportunity to apply ecological theory to current environmental challenges. We worked with a secondary forest that developed after agricultural activities ceased on a former plantation. Although the study was conducted in this specific location, the approach can be applied to any land area. Students analyze aerial images using Google Earth Pro to create land history data covering the past 60 years and map 15 x 15 m plots in a secondary forest. Then, students record species diversity of woody vegetation in each of those plots. Depending on interests and faculty expertise a variety of ecosystem services or functions could be measured. In a final discussion, students then consider other common post-abandonment land use transitions with varying degrees of human intervention.