Content, progress and pedagogy of the module

To give the student a basic introduction to the discipline of conservation biology with a focus on current problems and potential solutions.

The course will comprise of lectures and exercises on the above-mentioned themes. For each theme the students will have the possibility to identify examples of threatened species and/or habitats and possible solutions to reduce, and in some cases eliminate, current threats to their conservation. These exercises will permit interested students to focus on issues of special importance to Denmark, and they will allow all students to present their findings to the rest of the group.

Learning objectives

Knowledge

Students who have passed the module should be able to

• Describe human-induced and environmental factors that influence species, populations, habitats and biodiversity including genetic variation
• Describe how ecosystems and food chains are connected, and how their conservation may be affected by the loss or decline of a population or habitat
• Explain how invasive alien species can influence local ecosystems and, over time, have profound implications for conservation

Skills

• Identify and describe the conservational value of different species and populations 
• Identify “Keystone species”, where some species have an ecosystem role larger and more important than that suggested by their size and biomass
• Identify “Umbrella species”, where preservation of habitats and populations of sufficient size will contribute to conservation of many other species
• Use important tools for data collection and analyses concerning populations at risk, such as non-invasive genetic materials
• Assess potential solutions for conservation of species, populations and habitats at risk
• Use appropriate tools to collect data on species and populations in reference state as well as communities under environmental stress
• Use appropriate multivariate statistical analyses to assess biological communities and the environmental stressors affecting them

Extent and expected workload

150 hours

Exam

Exams