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BIOL3551: CONSERVATION BIOLOGY

Please ensure you check the module availability box for each module outline, as not all modules will run in each academic year. Each module description relates to the year indicated in the module availability box, and this may change from year to year, due to, for example: changing staff expertise, disciplinary developments, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback. Current modules are subject to change in light of the ongoing disruption caused by Covid-19.

Type Open
Level 3
Credits 20
Availability Available in 2023/24
Module Cap
Location Durham
Department Biosciences

Prerequisites

  • Level 2 Ecology (BIOL2461); Level 2 Evolution (BIOL2451)

Corequisites

  • At least one other Level 3 Biological Sciences Module selected from the following list :Advanced Topics in Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour BIOL3561, Ecology in the Enthropocene BIOL3541, Advanced Topics in Development BIOL3521, Stress and Responses to the Environment BIOL3491, Crops for the Future BIOL3611, Biochemistry and Biotechnology BIOL3601, Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering BIOL3531, Ageing BIOL3591, Advanced Cell Biology BIOL3481, Biology of Disease BIOL3621, Genomics BIOL3651.

Excluded Combinations of Modules

  • None

Aims

  • To review the scope and aims of conservation biology in the modern world.
  • To integrate the concept of biodiversity over a range of resolutions, from genes to biomes.
  • To promote an appreciation of some of the major issues affecting biodiversity.
  • To provide an understanding of how theory can be applied to practical problems.

Content

  • Conservation and biodiversity.
  • Conservation of the individual species.
  • Conservation of multiple species.
  • Conservation at landscape-scale, and ecosystem conservation.
  • Integrating conservation into the global landscape.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

  • Knowledge of the importance of genetics in considering conservation of species.
  • Knowledge of prediction and population modelling applied to conservation of populations.
  • Knowledge of the role of protected areas and ecotourism in conservation.
  • Knowledge of the importance of climate change in considering wider issues in conservation.

Subject-specific Skills:

  • To be able to define and measure biodiversity.
  • To be able to define and relate extinction rates in a historical context.
  • To be able to apply ecological concepts to conservation problems.
  • To be able to criticvally assess the potential application of different approaches to conservation problems.

Key Skills:

  • Literacy, in being able to consult and extract information from printed and on-line archives.
  • IT skills, in using on-line resources for information gathering.
  • Data analysis, in interpretation and critical analysis of published modeling, experimental and field studies within conservation biology.
  • Self-motivation, in self-guided learning.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • Lectures deliver subject-specific knowledge.
  • Workshops reinforce subject-specific knowledge and understanding gained from lectures and the development of key and subject-specific skills.
  • Self-guided learning contributes to subject-specific knowledge and self-motivation.
  • Reports are based on subject-specific knowledge.
  • Unseen examinations demonstrate achievement of the appropriate level of subject-specific knowledge of development, with an emphasis on understanding and communication (essay and problem-based questions).

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotalMonitored
Lectures18Weekly1 hours p/w18 
Workshops21 per term3 hour6Yes
Field excursion 11 day6Yes
Preparation & Reading170 
Total200 

Summative Assessment

Component: Examination Component Weighting: 100%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Unseen formal exam 2 hours100No

Formative Assessment

2 formative examination exercises of 1 hr each.

More information

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