Humans are causing enormous changes in the natural environment, threatening the existence of many species and habitats. Conservation biology is the science behind efforts to stem this loss of natural diversity, drawing on a broad range of disciplines including ecology, evolution, and biogeography. This module uses a combination of lectures, discussions, and computer practical exercises to address key questions including:

What is biodiversity?
	How much of the planet’s biodiversity remains undiscovered?
	What are the main threats to biodiversity?
	What are the main tools (e.g., computer models, monitoring techniques) used to study conservation issues?
	Why conserve biodiversity?
In addressing these questions, students will learn about topics such as extinction risk, habitat fragmentation, climate change impacts, invasive species, reserve design, and environmental ethics. Students will develop an individual project through a series of computer labs, which will provide hands-on experience with Geographic Information Systems, ecological modelling, and remote sensing. Class discussions will tackle tricky debates such as over the relative merits of utilitarian versus intrinsic arguments for the value of biodiversity.

You will develop skills include independent literature review, critical thinking, scientific writing, oral presentation, and predictive modelling.

Learning Objectives:

Students will learn the fundamentals of conservation biology, will gain experience in practical computational methods, and will have the opportunity to debate key issues in conservation. Skills developed include independent literature review, critical thinking, scientific writing, oral presentation, and predictive modelling. Students will also hear from conservation scientists from organizations including the Institute of Zoology, Royal Society for the Protection of birds, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, and DeepMind.

Indicative lecture topics – based on module content in 2021/22

Are we in the midst of a sixth mass extinction?
	GIS and modelling for biodiversity conservation
	Should we assign economic value to biodiversity?
	Data for biodiversity conservation
	Biodiversity in the Anthropocene
	Species distribution modelling (2 lectures)
	Population biology
	Indicators and extinction risk
	Applied conservation case study: Marine cetaceans
	Climate change
	Applied conservation case study: Conservation work of the RSPB
	Science, the media, and public understanding: a case study of extinction risk under climate change
	Research Talk
	Diversity, Stability and Ecosystem Function
	Ecosystem services
	Invasive species
	Is halting biodiversity loss a fairy tale?