Conserving biodiversity in the face of pressures such as land clearing, pest plants and animals and climate change is a challenge facing land managers and policy-makers globally. This course is about the science and practice of biodiversity conservation. We draw on experts from many areas to contribute to the course and introduce students to prospective employers in this field.

 In this course we investigate:

• Key threats to biodiversity, including habitat modification and loss, unsustainable resource use, introduced species and climate change.
• Key techniques that are used to mitigate threats to biodiversity, including selecting nature reserves, connectivity and wildlife corridors, ecosystem restoration, sustainable yield, translocation and control of pest plants and animals.
• Policies to conserve biodiversity including financial incentives, market-based instruments (e.g. auctions), biodiversity offset policies, ecological triage, adaptive management, domestic biodiversity legislation and communicating science to policy-makers.

There is an emphasis on inquiry-based learning, that is, relating the concepts and techniques of conservation biology to real-world situations through a series of weekly field-based practicals and an extended field trip over several days focused on surveying wildlife and their habitats.

1. Understand and explain the key threats to biodiversity and why conservation within, and outside, formal nature reserves is important. (LO1)
2. Apply the principles of systematic conservation planning and techniques used to conserve biodiversity within reserves such as control of pest plants and animals and species translocations. (LO2)
3. Identify and apply appropriate techniques that can be used to achieve biodiversity conservation outside formal reserves including retention of keystone structures, connectivity and corridors and sustainable yield  (LO3)
4. Understand and apply the key ecological concepts that underpin, and range of practical techniques used for, ecosystem restoration. (LO4)
5. Identify and critique key legislation relevant to biodiversity conservation in Australia and which policy instruments are appropriate for conserving biodiversity in different settings. (LO5)
6. Identify, and argue a reasoned case for, appropriate strategies for conserving biodiversity in different settings. (LO6)

• Practical exercises (45%) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
• Extended research report based on field data and augmented by a literature review (40%) [LO 1,2,3,4,5,6]
• Exam (15%) [LO 1,2,3,4,5,6]

65 Contact hours, comprising lectures, practicals, short field excursions and a 3-day field trip.

There is no specific prescribed text. Reading material will be provided throughout the course.

Standard IT and library access