2023
Conservation Biology
Name: Conservation Biology
Code: BIO12415L
6 ECTS
Duration: 15 weeks/156 hours
Scientific Area:
Biological Sciences
Teaching languages: Portuguese
Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese, English
Regime de Frequência: Presencial
Sustainable Development Goals
Learning Goals
OBJECTIVES
1. Know the main issues and questions in conservation biology, in the local, regional and global context, and understand why we need a new discipline to meet them;
2. Recognize conservation biology as a scientific area and not as ethic-environmental political or socio-economic line of intervention;
3. Develop a critical capability for analysis and discussion of issues related to biodiversity conservation;
4. Understanding conservation as a synthesis and a dynamic process, thus developing, skills to solve problems.
COMPETENCES
Develop the following generic skills: reading in English; use of generic (e.g. Excel) and specific software; ability to integrate information from different sources and produce consensus, autonomous work and independent learning; sedimentation of Portuguese; encouragement of entrepreneurship by proposing for solutions to specific problems in conservation
1. Know the main issues and questions in conservation biology, in the local, regional and global context, and understand why we need a new discipline to meet them;
2. Recognize conservation biology as a scientific area and not as ethic-environmental political or socio-economic line of intervention;
3. Develop a critical capability for analysis and discussion of issues related to biodiversity conservation;
4. Understanding conservation as a synthesis and a dynamic process, thus developing, skills to solve problems.
COMPETENCES
Develop the following generic skills: reading in English; use of generic (e.g. Excel) and specific software; ability to integrate information from different sources and produce consensus, autonomous work and independent learning; sedimentation of Portuguese; encouragement of entrepreneurship by proposing for solutions to specific problems in conservation
Contents
1.Introduction to Conservation Biology: Origin and objectives; interdisciplinarity; basic concepts;
2.Biodiversity: what is biodiversity, levels of biodiversity, importance;
3.Ecosystem services and functions. Valuation of ecosystem services;
4.Main threats to biodiversity: habitat degradation, habitat fragmentation, introduction of exotic species, overexploitation, global changes;
5.Genes, species and populations: rare, endemic and isolated populations; inbreeding and bottleneck effect; extinction; metapopulations, minimum viable populations; key-species, flagship-species and umbrella species;
6.Statutes and Strategies for Conservation: IUCN Conservation Criteria and Statutes; European Biodiversity Strategy; Natura 2000 Network;
7.Management and Conservation of Biodiversity: Assessment of priorities and planning in conservation; restoration and rehabilitation of ecosystems; conservation outside protected areas; in situ and ex-situ conservation.
2.Biodiversity: what is biodiversity, levels of biodiversity, importance;
3.Ecosystem services and functions. Valuation of ecosystem services;
4.Main threats to biodiversity: habitat degradation, habitat fragmentation, introduction of exotic species, overexploitation, global changes;
5.Genes, species and populations: rare, endemic and isolated populations; inbreeding and bottleneck effect; extinction; metapopulations, minimum viable populations; key-species, flagship-species and umbrella species;
6.Statutes and Strategies for Conservation: IUCN Conservation Criteria and Statutes; European Biodiversity Strategy; Natura 2000 Network;
7.Management and Conservation of Biodiversity: Assessment of priorities and planning in conservation; restoration and rehabilitation of ecosystems; conservation outside protected areas; in situ and ex-situ conservation.
Teaching Methods
Oral lessons; talking and discussion, lab and field work
TP Evaluation will be based on the elaboration of short reports about species or groups ecology and
management followed by an oral presentation and discussion (30%)
Theoretical evaluation will be done in a continuous way on the basis of student participation on class
discussions and accomplishment of UC duties (10%) and on written testes (60%)
Autonomous study will be supported by tutorial hours and e-learning.
TP Evaluation will be based on the elaboration of short reports about species or groups ecology and
management followed by an oral presentation and discussion (30%)
Theoretical evaluation will be done in a continuous way on the basis of student participation on class
discussions and accomplishment of UC duties (10%) and on written testes (60%)
Autonomous study will be supported by tutorial hours and e-learning.
Teaching Staff
