Environmental Conservation 622 - Conservation Biology

Conservation biology emerged roughly 30 years ago as a mission oriented discipline, engaged in scholarly scientific inquiry, addressing the problems of biodiversity loss and environmental degradation. It is an inherently synthetic and interdisciplinary field, founded largely on basic principles from ecology and environmental management, but strongly dependent on the integration of social and natural science approaches. Together, we will examine the state of conservation science today: how the field is changing, new insights from current literature, and competing visions for the future. We will aim to keep the discussions grounded in real world problems through case studies and problem solving. The course aims to provide students with exposure to key tools in the conservation practitioners? toolkit. Students are also encouraged to bring their own research and work life examples to bear on our discussions.