Conservation In Practice

Description

This course examines the practical interface between conservation theories and implementation, examining how conservation approaches are applied in practice to conserve species, habitats and ecosystems, to inform policy-makers and to integrate stakeholders. This is an interactive course that encourages debate and discussion. The course aims to bridge the gap between the theory you will have learnt in second year Conservation Biology and the applied conservation issues of the world today. You will be able to meet a range of academics, as well as policy advisers and practitioners from various organisations through a field visit and guest speakers, and we hope this enhances your awareness and enjoyment of the subject. The lectures, discussions, tutorials and fieldtrip will provide insights into the professional environmental sector which may influence your career decisions. By producing a research grant proposal, an infographic and critiquing current issues, you will gain practice in skills relevant to the practical implementation of conservation goals, providing you with the opportunity to develop transferable skills in synthesising and displaying information, critical evaluation and research project design. This course includes: exploration of the rationale and approaches to conservation and the use of evidence in conservation decision-making examination of conservation paradigms and frameworks including rewilding and ecosystem services discussion of the impacts of colonialism on conservation an insight into relevant social science techniques and methods for exploring illegal resource use exploration of how conflicts between stakeholders can affect conservation actions and outcomes a field trip to explore the challenges of managing a nationally important reserve insight into careers in conservation By the end of this course you should be able to: Critically evaluate methods and debate the merits of different approaches used in applied conservation Critically reflect on values, goals and roles of multiple stakeholders in current debates in conservation Synthesise and evaluate evidence to provide coherent messaging on conservation actions Gain an understanding of how to design conservation research management or monitoring projects Teaching includes group lectures, debate and discussions, interactive problem-solving and a fieldtrip.