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This module seeks to provide an introduction to conservation biogeography and the role of science in the effective safeguarding of the Earth’s remaining flora and fauna. Students get acquainted with the scientific basis of nature conservation, including motivations for the conservation of nature, history of biodiversity conservation, threats to biodiversity (e.g., habitat loss and fragmentation, invasive species, pollution and climate change), approaches for protecting nature and conservation planning. Course participants will learn to critically read, reflect on, and summarize primary literature, as well as to train presentation skills. Students will learn quantitative and qualitative tools to answer questions related to analyzing threats to species and communities and to guide conservation planning.
Prerequisites: Modules B3 (Statistics) and B6 (GIS), respectively M3 and M6 in older study programs.
The course will consist of a lecture and a seminar. The lectures will cover the following topics:
- What makes species go extinct?
- Motivations for conserving nature/biodiversity
- Threats to biodiversity (habitat loss & fragmentation, overharvesting, pollution, invasive species, trophic cascades, climate change)
- Systematic conservation planning
- Protected areas and conservation in human-dominated landscapes
The seminar will serve to deepen lecture topics via reading and reflecting on scientific literature, debating ‘hot topics’ in conservation, and conducting quantitative data analysis (including spatial data). Computer-lab exercises will include:
- Quantifying extinction risk of small populations
- Quantifying habitat loss and fragmentation effects
- Deciding where and what to protect (Conservation prioritization)
- Corridor mapping and assessment
- Impacts of climate change on biodiversity
THE CLASS WILL BE TAUGHT IN ENGLISH!
Conditions permitting, there will be a compulsory one-day field excursion to a close-by national park or nature reserve. It will serve to deepen particular topics and methods introduced in the lectures.
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