NBIK12003U Conservation Biology
MSc Programme in Biology
MSc Programme in Environmental Science
MSc Programme in Forest and Nature Management
MSc Programme in Nature Management
The course will provide an introduction to conservation issues,
concentrating on their fundamental biological basis, and the role
of scientific research in conservation management.
1. The goals of conservation
1a. Threats to biodiversity: Habitat destruction, degradation and
fragmentation, Invasive species, Exploitation.
1b. What are we trying to protect? Genes, Species, Communities,
Habitats, Regions, Ecosystem services.
1c. How do we measure our success or failure? Monitoring schemes
and threat categories.
2. The biological basis of conservation
2a. Ecological and behavioural (social) effects of habitat change:
metapopulation dynamics, patch connectivity, environmental and
demographic stochasticity, Allee and rescue effects.
2b. The (in situ and ex situ) conservation of single gene pools:
genetic and behavioural aspects of inbreeding and genetic erosion,
evolution after man made changes, how much genetic variation is
needed, artificial breeding, reintroduction and translocation
programs, genetic management tools.
2c. The conservation of species assemblages: Island biology
revisited (area, edge effect and distance), why island biotas are
special and vulnerable, management of rich and poor assemblages of
species, invasive species and their devastating effects.
2d. Taking long term stability into account: effects of climate and
global change, dynamic food-web interactions, population cycles.
3. Practical conservation
3a. The need for scientific information for management strategies:
Trade-offs between collecting data and active management.
3b. How to preserve biodiversity? The need for shortcuts: keystone
species, flagship species, indicator species, indicator groups, the
higher-taxon approach, abiotic indicators (the landscape approach).
3c. Practical harvesting issues in animals and plants:
Density-dependence and trophic interactions, migration patterns,
harvesting models, disease problems, optimal yield and the tragedy
of the commons.
3d. Human activities and how to select nature reserves and
management areas – the need for making priorities: the hot-spot of
richness approach, the hot-spot of endemism approach, the
complementarity approach and the ecosystem approach.
3e. The advantages and disadvantages of using citizen science to
provide data on and highlight conservation issues.
This course has a triple objective.
First, to offer a broad conceptually orientated overview of current
key issues in conservation biology and to train students in the
application of these concepts to practical conservation.
Second, to give students the essential background to be successful
in MSc-level jobs in management, administration, and the
dissemination of knowledge on Biodiversity and Conservation.
Third, to give those students that continue with MSc and PhD
degrees the necessary entry-level for advanced courses on more
specific issues.
Knowledge:
By completing the course the student can:
Explain the intrinsic value of conservation of species, groups of
species and high-biodiversity areas and of the economic realities
constraining practical conservation.
Integrate basic knowledge from population ecology, behavioural
biology, population genetics, evolutionary biology and macroecology
in questions of practical conservation.
Provide a general overview of the population biology of invasive
species, of the traits that these species have in common, and of
the typical ways in which they threaten native biodiversity.
Relate the key variables for optimal harvesting of economically
important populations of wild animals and plants.
Skills:
By completing the course the student can:
Make qualified contributions to the “priority-driven” conservation
management of single species and species assemblages (guilds &
communities), taking into account issues of habitat fragmentation,
genetic erosion, reproductive value of cohorts and individuals,
controlled breeding, reintroduction, and climate change.
Critically assess information from monitoring schemes and similar
biodiversity databases for the purpose of conservation of species,
groups of species or entire species assemblages of areas.
Explain the rationale behind national, European and global
conservation initiatives and the impact that they have, and of the
difficulties that they face.
Distinguish between scientific results reported in the primary
literature and in general textbooks and reports.
Competences:
By completing the course the student can:
Critically assess the appropriateness of statistical methods and
interpretations in the scientific literature.
Explain and evaluate the relative value of experiments, theoretical
concepts and the comparative analysis of literature data.
Provide and outline an overview of the field of Conservation and
formulate a qualified opinion on the discipline to non-biologists.
Independently retrieve and select information from the scientific
literature and other relevant sources.
Present a coherent essay on a topic within the field of
conservation biology.
See Absalon.
Academic qualifications equivalent to a BSc degree is recommended.
- Category
- Hours
- Lectures
- 28
- Preparation
- 125
- Theory exercises
- 18
- Practical exercises
- 10
- Exam
- 25
- Total
- 206
Supervised choice of seminar papers and questions. Feedback from teacher and peers (class) on oral seminar presentation and answers to seminar questions, and collective feedback from teachers and discussion of on-line assignments in the week following completion. Organised feedback on choice of essay topic and at workshops for essay writing. Feedback on essay, presentation and discussion at exam.
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
- Oral examination, 20 minutes with 20 minutes preparation timeWritten assignment, during course
- Type of assessment details
- The written assignment will be a 5-page essay on a topic of
current concern in conservation biology, which must be submitted no
later than two weeks prior to the oral exam.
The oral examination will be based on the exam essay, plus an associated question related to one of the overall topics.
The oral exam and the exam essay must be passed separately, in the same exam period. The oral exam and the exam essay will be given equal weight in the final assessment. - Exam registration requirements
Each student must hand in an individual essay or complete an on-line assignment for each of the first five weeks. Students will receive an informal grade and feedback from teachers on their essays and assignments. All essays and assignments must be completed and approved no later than two weeks before the oral exam, and a full set of approved essays and assignments is a precondition for being allowed to take the exam.
- Aid
- Only certain aids allowed
Written aids, including the students own notes, may be used during the preparation time.
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
Two internal examiners
- Re-exam
The same as the ordinary exam. A new 5-page essay must be handed in.
The exam registration requirements must be fulfilled if they were not fulfilled for the ordinary exam.
All essays and assignments must be approved no later than three weeks before the oral re-examination.
Criteria for exam assesment
In order to obtain the grade 12 the student should convincingly and accurately demonstrate the knowledge, skills and competences described under Learning Outcome.
Course information
- Language
- English
- Course code
- NBIK12003U
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Level
- Full Degree Master
- Duration
- 1 block
- Placement
- Block 2
- Schedule
- C
- Course capacity
- No limitation – unless you register in the late-registration period (BSc and MSc) or as a credit or single subject student.
Study board
- Study Board of Geosciences and Management
Contracting departments
- Department of Biology
- The Natural History Museum of Denmark
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Science
Course Coordinators
- David Richard Nash (Drnash@bio.ku.dk)
Lecturers
David Nash, Elodie Mandel-Briefer, Anders Tøttrup . Four to six guest teachers every year.