GoalKnow what the Red Book is, about the Red Book of Uzbekistan and endemic plants (Uzbek tulip, Uzbek pink), and be able to state rules for protecting rare plants.
New words
Red Book · Qizil kitobrare · noyobendemic (found only in one place) · endemiknature reserve · qo‘riqxona
Explanation
The Red Book is a list of plants and animals in danger of dying out. The international Red Book first appeared in the 1960s and scientists keep updating it, because the condition of species changes: some recover, others decline. Uzbekistan also has its own Red Book, which is reissued every few years. Plants listed in it must not be picked or dug up, and its animals must not be hunted; the law protects them. An endemic plant grows only in a small area. The Uzbek tulip grows only in Kashkadarya region, and the Uzbek pink grows among cliffs and rocks. To save them they are grown in botanical gardens and nature reserves. A picked flower leaves no seeds, so never pick a rare flower and tell others politely not to.
Worked examples
Foster’s tulip and the Talas aconite are among the plants listed in the Red Book of Uzbekistan.
In spring hikers pick bunches that may include rare flowers, so next year none grow there.
Class activity
“Red Book page”: choose a rare plant or animal and make its page: a picture, its name, where it lives, why it is declining and how to protect it.
Practice
1
What is the Red Book?
A list of plants and animals in danger of extinction.
2
What is an endemic plant? Give an example.
A plant that grows only in a small area; for example, the Uzbek tulip.
3
Why is the Red Book updated regularly?
The numbers and condition of species keep changing.
4
What do you do if you see someone picking a rare flower?
I politely explain that the flower is in the Red Book and must not be picked; if needed I tell an adult.