Courses in Applied Biodiversity Science
Below is a list of Courses in the Applied Biodiversity Science Program. For a description of the complete curriculum guidelines for the Applied Biodiversity Science Doctoral Certification Program, click here to download a pdf file.
Applied Biodiversity Science I
Syllabus (pdf)
Description: Efforts to halt the loss of biodiversity must be based on integration between science and practice. Linking theory with real-world conservation requires the engagement of many different kinds of actors, including biologists and social scientists, universities and museums, governments and nongovernmental organizations, industries, interest groups, and communities. Such collaboration is critical for establishing conservation priorities, developing ecologically and socially acceptable management plans, building local capacity for stewardship, and guiding effective policy. Currently, a great deal of conservation research is based in universities with few linkages between scientists and practitioners, or between theory and practical strategies for conservation. Moreover, research on patterns and processes that underlie the loss of biodiversity are often conceptual and discipline specific, with few lessons shared among researchers from diverse disciplines.
Our goal in this course is to build cross-disciplinary understanding of biodiversity science. We ask:
- What is biodiversity? How is it perceived, valued, measured, monitored, and protected?
- What are various strategies for protecting biodiversity while also meeting human needs?
- What are current perspectives from evolutionary and community ecology, conservation biology, environmental anthropology, political ecology, and ecological economics?
- What can we learn from case studies, and what is the role of science for building more effective on-the-ground strategies?
Applied Biodiversity Science II
Syllabus (pdf)
Course Schedule (pdf)
Description: In this course students will:
- examine linkages between varying forms of governance and biodiversity;
- analyze interactions between social systems and ecosystems at local, regional, and international scales;
- identify the interests and needs of diverse stakeholders in conservation programs; and
- critically evaluate social, economic, and environmental trade-offs of various conservation strategies.
Amazon Field Course
Description: IGERT faculty lead a three-week Amazon Field Course in the Tambopata National Reserve and Bahuaja Sonene National Park in Madre de Dios, Peru, during the first year for each cohort. Logistics will be coordinated with Rainforest Expeditions. Objectives of the course are to:
- provide direct, experiential learning in ABS concepts and principles
- engage ABS students in projects representing ABS research themes
- teach field research methods
- connect ABS students with local organizations and practitioners
