BB854: Species Conservation - a key element to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Scheduled field trip: Please note that the course includes an excursion with stay at Danhostel Givskud Zoo for five days in spring. A small fee will be charged via a web pay link, that will cover the cost of meals during the excursion.

Limited seats
The course has limited entry. The following criterias are taken into consideration when seats are assigned: 

1. Students with the most ECTS from their master
2. Students who are accepted conditionally on the master
3. Students who follows master courses concurrent with their bachelor programme
4. BSc students

 If the score is even lots are drawn.
The academic environment at the faculty of Science manages the prioritization and a waiting list is established and will then made aware from the faculty. The waiting list will not be transferred to the following year.
It is important to attend the first day of the course or inform the teacher, as there is a waiting list for the course.

Give skills to: 

• Basic species and biodiversity conservation concepts
  
• Introduction to the field of Conservation Science and the SDGs focusing on Targets 14, 15 & 17
• Introduction to a Species Management Plan under the One Plan Approach (integrating in-situ & ex-situ conservation tools) and Multilateral agreements on biodiversity or species conservation
• Introduction to the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES)
• Develop Stakeholder Analyses realted to and be applied it in the debate
• Research pro and contra arguments and apply them in a debate
• Critical thinking on the challenges to avert the current biodiversity crises

• The biodiversity concepts
• The difference between current biodiversity extinction rates recorded during the Earth’s 5th mass extinctions and the background rates.
• Basic theries of conservation biology
• Species conservation and the One Plan Approach of Conservation Planning and main tools for species conservation.
• Current isues and challenges on species and population’s conservation

The course gives an academic basis for conducting a master´s project within conservation biology.
In relation to the competence profile of the degree it is the explicit focus of the course to provide:

• Competence to manage complex work situations that require new solutions at the interface of biology and policy, and to initiate and implement professional collaborations in the biology field and across other disciplines.
• Skills in mastering theories, methods, and technical terms within species conservation biology will allow students to plan scientific studies by creating new biological research results.
• Knowledge and understanding of the latest species conservation research, allowing students to reflect on concepts and methodologies within the field on a scientific basis.
• Manage work and development situations, independently start up and go through with professional teamwork and take responsibility for one's own professional development and specialization.

• Get to know and express the importance of key concepts in species conservation in light of the 14, 15 and 17 UN SDG’s 
• Explain the difference between mass and background extinction and be able to compare pre-existing extinction rates with the ones after the industrial revolution
• Understand the importance of the diversity of demographic patterns and genetic variability across taxa for the development of a species conservation
• Develop a basic analysis of the key Stakeholders around the problems that affect or benefit the conservation of a species
• Develop pro and counter arguments on a current conservation topic
• Get to know major conservation organizations and international conventions, with a special focus on CITES
• Explain why the conservation of a particular species is important in the general context of biodiversity conservation (i.e ecosystems services) and human economic sustainability

The course contains the following main academic areas:

• Extinction
• Biodiversity
• Metapopulations and theory of Island biogeography
• Stakeholder analysis
• Major conservation organizations, conventions and current conservation issues (IUCN, CITES etc.)
• Wildlife trade
• One Plan Approach of Conservation Planning (integration of in-situ and ex-situ conservation)

The teaching activities result in an estimated indicative distribution of the work effort of an average student in the following way:

• Intro phase (lectures) - Number of hours: 6
• Training phase: 48 hours, of which: Tutorial: 18 hours and other: 30 field work hours

The teaching combines traditional lectures with the Socratic method to promote and stimulate student’s critical thinking. The class is designed to have a student-centered learning approach.

• Reading of key literature for the course topics (provided by lecturer).
• Previous to the class watch introductory videos for some of the topics to be covered (provided by lecturer).
• Discussion in person or SKYPE with key policymakers, zoo managers, and scientist
• Working on debates (arranged by the lecturer and TA).
• Research on the chosen debate topic.For example literature research and data to support their position (This material will be obtained by the students in their teams)