1. Connect to students’ prior knowledge about human impacts on the environment.

Activate students’ prior understanding about human impacts on the environment. Have students think about various construction projects—buildings, bridges, highways, etc. (If there is something local, use that more relevant scenario to draw out student ideas.) Have students think about why these construction projects are important for the local communities and people who live there. Ask: Why do we need more bridges? Another building? Wider highways? What are the benefits of making these changes? Then have students think about the effects these projects have on the environment. Ask: What other living things are often affected by decisions to build bridges, roads, or buildings? How are they affected? Have students think about the tensions involved in making difficult decisions. Ask a couple of students to share their thoughts with the class. The focus of this discussion is to get a few examples and to get students thinking about human impacts on the environment.

2. Introduce the Amazon Road Building case study.

Give students The Amazonian Road Decision handout and ask them to read for understanding. Ask students to write any questions they might have. After reading the case study, have a brief discussion with the class to check for understanding. Ask:

• What is the reason for building the road? (The purpose is to connect rural communities that have had relatively stagnant economic growth over the past few decades.) 
• Who does the road benefit? (It will benefit the rural communities near the road, particularly citizens of Cruzeiro do Sul, Brazil, by giving them access to transport and trade their goods to a larger city, and ultimately enhance their participation in the global economy.) 
• What would happen to the environment in the area if the road were built? (The primary concern is the correlation between deforestation and roads throughout the Amazon. This road will provide easier access to large canopy trees, such as mahogany, that are highly valued in the global economy. Removing these trees will release large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, affecting global warming. Additionally, road construction and ultimately road use could lead to pollution in the area and damage water quality.)
• What would happen to the people and other living things in the area if the road were built? (The indigenous people, like the Ashéninka population, will have to relocate and could face threats from disease as they lack immunity to diseases from outside cultures. Canopy dwellers—like birds and monkeys—and other living things will have to relocate as their resources and water quality will be diminished.)

3. Have students portray one of the stakeholders from the Amazon Road case study.

Brainstorm individuals that might be involved in the decision about the construction of the Pucallpa-Cruzeiro do Sul road. Explain that the individuals they identify are called stakeholders. A stakeholder is a person, organization, living organism, or physical environment that is affected by the decision that is made. Some stakeholders, such as people and organizations, have a strong voice in the decision and generally are a part of the decision-making process. Other stakeholders, such as plants, animals, and the physical environment, are silent and do not have a voice in the decision or the process for making a decision. Remind students that the Pucallpa-Cruzeiro do Sul road has a real-world environmental impact and, therefore, many stakeholders will be influenced when decisions are made. Write the list of stakeholders identified on the board (Ashéninka people (indigenous communities), Amazonian ecosystem, wildlife, loggers and logging companies, residents of rural communities, international consumers).

Distribute the Stakeholder Table worksheet, and model how to complete the first row. Explain to students that they will take on the role of one of these stakeholders and will write an early decision statement based on their knowledge and viewpoint of that stakeholder. Divide students into groups of three, and assign each group one of the stakeholders; grouping in odd numbers supports a more productive discussion. Ask students to read about their stakeholder in The Amazonian Road Decision handout and complete the row for that stakeholder in Part 1 of the Stakeholder Table worksheet. After they have discussed this stakeholder thoroughly, have students work as a group to write a decision statement from their stakeholder’s perspective in Part 2 of the Stakeholder Table worksheet. There are no right or wrong answers to the table or the decision statement.

4. Have stakeholder groups share their decision statement.

Ask each group to share its decision statement with the rest of the class. Record the decision statements on the board for all students to see. As groups are sharing, the audience groups can fill out the rest of their Stakeholder Table worksheet.

5. Have students reflect on the level of influence each of the stakeholder’s has in the Amazon road decision.

After all groups have presented, have a class discussion about the similarities and differences among the various stakeholder statements. To promote discussion, categorize the stakeholders that are in favor of building the road and the stakeholders that are not in favor of the road. Compare and contrast the reasoning of each of the stakeholder’s groups. Ask the class to share aloud which stakeholder(s) they think have the most influence in the decision-making process. Ask: Which of the stakeholders have the least influence and why? Which stakeholders will be the most affected by the decision to build a road? Is there a relationship between the stakeholders that have the least influence and the ones that are the most affected? (There is no right answer to these questions. Use these questions to support a lively discussion. When appropriate, reference the case study.) Ask students to take notes on the back of the Stakeholder Table worksheet. Ask students to hold onto their notes and Stakeholder Table worksheet. They will use this table and their notes in Activity 3 of this lesson.

6. Have students reflect on the Amazon road decision.

Explain to students that in this activity, they were asked to make a decision from one perspective. Ask: What do you think it would be like if you had to negotiate the multiple perspectives and needs of all stakeholders? Do you think you could come to a decision in which all involved would be happy? If yes, why? What would the process be? Remind students a decision like this is much more complicated than taking one stakeholder’s perspective. An informed environmental decision requires an examination of economic, cultural, and environmental factors. Have students individually reflect upon the process they went through by writing their thoughts on a piece of paper. Have them consider which factors they need to explore more so they can make a more informed decision. Use the following questions to guide their reflections:

• What were some of the roadblocks you experienced in making your decision? 
• Was there anything you considered but was not necessary in your discussions during your decision-making process? Explain.
• Did you feel that all stakeholders got a fair voice in the process? Why or why not?
• How did your group weigh the different consequences when making your decision statement?
• Did you consider economic, cultural, and environmental factors equally? If so, what played into your decision? If not, what factors do you need to explore more so you can make a decision that more fully considers cultural, environmental, and economic consequences?