| CODE | EMP2006 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Ecosystem Management for Conservation | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | Not Applicable | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Environmental Management and Planning | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The study-unit provides an introduction to notions of biodiversity conservation, framing these within the holistic approach of ecosystem management. Students will first be introduced to the concept of extinction, and to the distinction between past extinction events and present-day extinction phenomena. The unit will then give an overview of major threats to biodiversity, including an exploration of major stressors (such as habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation, species over-exploitation, and species introductions), with reference to various case studies from around the world. The local and global extent of these different threats will be reviewed, providing students with an understanding of the urgent need for conservation initiatives at different scales. Different types of conservation methods will then be explained, including both in-situ (e.g. conservation areas) and ex-situ (e.g. captive breeding) techniques. Various examples from both categories will be reviewed. Fundamental notions of conservation biology, which affect the success of such initiatives, will also be outlined. The unit will then explore ecosystem management, outlining key principles of this approach. Key notions of holism, integration, adaptive management, stakeholder participation, uncertainty, and resilience will be explained, with an overarching emphasis on integrating conservation within a wider framework of environmental, economic, social and cultural sustainability. The practical applications of ecosystem management will be explored with reference to real-world conservation dilemmas. Students will also be introduced to landscape-level conservation initiatives and to related concepts of habitat restoration, rehabilitation and re-creation. Fieldwork sessions will be used to illustrate and evaluate different conservation options, with reference to local experiences. Study-unit Aims: The study-unit aims: - to provide students with an understanding of (i) the need for biodiversity conservation, (ii) the various methods used for 'doing' conservation, and (iii) the need for conservation initiatives to be sustainable and to fit within wider frameworks of sustainability; - to encourage students to think critically about threats to biodiversity and about ways in which these might be addressed; - to foster an appreciation of the complexity of issues relating to biodiversity conservation, particularly through the use of real-world examples which demonstrate that trade-offs often need to be made by resource managers; - to demonstrate a key principle of the Earth Systems paradigm, i.e. that environmental, economic, social and cultural dimensions are intrinsically and inseparably interlinked, and need to be managed on the basis of holism and integration. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: a. Explain the concept of extinction, and outline why present-day extinction is an issue of concern; b. Identify key threats to biodiversity and evaluate their relative influence, both globally and locally; c. Distinguish between in-situ and ex-situ conservation initiatives, providing examples of both; d. Explain the concept of ecosystem management and relate it to the conservation of biodiversity; e. Explain key concepts such as holism, integration, resilience and uncertainty. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: a. Critically appraise the trade-offs that need to be made by conservation managers; b. Evaluate the sustainability of different conservation initiatives; c. Use data to analyze the relative influence of problem factors (threats to biodiversity) and to prioritize issues of concern; d. Recognize the complexity of management decisions relating to Earth Systems. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Groom, M. J., Meffe, G. K., Carroll, C. & contributors, 2006. Principles of Conservation Biology. Sinauer Associates. 3rd Edition. ISBN: 978-087-893-518-5. Norton, B.G., 2005. Sustainability: A Philosophy of Adaptive Ecosystem Management. The University of Chicago Press. 1st Edition. ISBN: 978-022-659-521-4. IUCN, 1980. World Conservation Strategy: Living Resource Conservation for Sustainable Development. 1st Edition. ISBN: 288-032-104-2. Groombridge, B., 1992. Global Biodiversity - Status of the Earth’s Living Resources: A Report. IUCN. ISBN: 041-247-240-6. Meffe, G. K., 1997. Principles of Conservation Biology. Sinauer Associates. 2nd Edition. ISBN: 087-893-521-5. Jeffries, M., 2006. Biodiversity and Conservation. Routledge. 2nd Edition. ISBN: 978-041-534-299-5. Meffe, G. K., Larry, A., Knight, R. L. & Schenborn, D. A., 2002. Ecosystem Management: Adaptive, Community-Based Conservation. Island Press. 1st Edition. ISBN: 978-155-963-824-1. Handmer, J., Norton, T. W. & Dovers, S. R., 2001. Ecology, Uncertainty and Policy. Pearson. 1st Edition. ISBN: 978-013-016-121-5. |
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| RULES/CONDITIONS | Before TAKING THIS UNIT YOU MUST TAKE EMP1010 | ||||||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Fieldwork, Group Learning, Lecture & Seminar | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Louis Francis Cassar Elisabeth Conrad Belinda Gambin (Co-ord.) Sandro Lanfranco |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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