Last modified: 6 Days, 19 Hours, 28 Minutes ago
Foundational course to the Biodiversity Conservation MSc programme teaching the science behind contemporary conservation. Students will study how conservation and restoration of populations, communities and ecosystems is underpinned by ecological and conservation theory.
Case studies from terrestrial, marine, and freshwater systems provide context for applying theory to practice, for understanding how the complexity of content influences approaches, and how interventions are monitored and assessed.
Course features lectures, practical exercises and field trips to local biodiversity hotspots such as in the Cairngorms national park and coastal nature reserves.
| Study Type | Postgraduate | Level | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | First Term | Credit Points | 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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This course teaches the science behind major conservation efforts to preserve and promote biodiversity. Along with interrogating the reasons for population and species declines, students will study approaches for the conservation of endangered populations, how they can be restored, and principles underpinning “rewilding” and other contemporary approaches.
Field-leading ecologists will draw on classic and contemporary case studies and their own research to show real applications of these ideas and their effectiveness. Examples across terrestrial, marine, and freshwater biomes will demonstrate the generalisability of key ecological concepts while also highlighting the need for an appreciation of the nuances present in each habitat and situational context.
The following concepts are indicative of course content:
Ecological dynamics including: trajectories, tipping points, resilience, alternative stable states
Environmental heterogeneity in space and time, including concepts such as: connectivity, range shifts, source-sink dynamics and allele effects
Community assembly rules and the disruptive impacts of invasive species
Methods for restoring functioning ecosystems including the consideration of trait-based processes, the role of analogue species and ecosystem engineers
Key questions that reflect the focus of the course include the following:
Teaching will involve a mixture of lectures, discussions/debates, and field trips to see relevant natural populations in situ and to engage with stakeholders.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 50 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 20 | Feedback Weeks | 26 | |
| Feedback |
2000-word case study report. Students will receive formative feedback on case studies during tutorials and seminars that informs their work on the summative assessment; students will receive individualised written feedback on their report |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Apply | To apply ecological and conservation theory to existing case studies in conservation and restoration |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 20 | Feedback Weeks | 26 | |
| Feedback |
750-word skills evaluation and personal professional development plan. Students will receive individualised written feedback on their report. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Reflection | Create | To reflect on the complexity of current conservation challenges and construct a professional development plan to support effective engagement with this complexity |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 12 | Feedback Weeks | 15 | |
| Feedback |
750-word field trip report and methods critique. Students will receive formative feedback on ideas during field visits; students will receive individualised written feedback on their report. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Procedural | Understand | To describe features of a natural system and generate hypotheses and questions relevant to the system’s conservation or restoration |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Students will resit any failed element with the grades from passed elements carried forward; failed component will be submitted as originally framed. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Procedural | Understand | To describe features of a natural system and generate hypotheses and questions relevant to the system’s conservation or restoration |
| Reflection | Create | To reflect on the complexity of current conservation challenges and construct a professional development plan to support effective engagement with this complexity |
| Conceptual | Apply | To apply ecological and conservation theory to existing case studies in conservation and restoration |
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