Description

Global Conservation Strategies and Legislation

Description - summary of the module content

Module description

This module is divided into two sections: 1) Global Conservation Strategies for islands and their biotas and 2) Conservation Legislation. Part one explores Conservation Biology strategies and policies, with special emphasis in the role of the more important NGOs (IUCN, WWF, CI, NC, Birdlife, etc) and public administrations (UK, EU, UNEP, etc.). Furthermore, the fundamentals and history behind relevant Conservation Biology concepts, such as red lists, protected area networks, threatened categories, species catalogues, etc. are analysed. Part two introduces key UK and EU legislation on Conservation, highlighting their similarities and differences, as well as the international agreements dealing with Conservation Biology, such as Convention on Biological Diversity, Bern Agreement or CITES.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module is an introduction to public institutions and private NGOs working in Conservation Biology, and the main objectives and goals regarding Conservation Biology that have emerged from international meetings (Stockholm, Rio I, Johannesburg, Rio II, etc.) are critically analysed. Again, there is a particular emphasis on UK and European Union countries and conservation legislation, with some material covering international agreements existing in Biodiversity Conservation.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Classify threatened species according to IUCN categories
• 2. Evaluate the vulnerability of the biota of a specific island
• 3. Suggest and carry out actions against environmental problems with conservation consequences, and increasing the survival likelihood of threatened populations and species

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Apply statistical and modelling skills to understand and interpret quantitative analyses using the more important statistical computational tools and packages
• 5. Analyse scientific results and determine their strength and validity

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Communicate effectively through oral presentations, written reports, posters and scientific publication
• 7. Demonstrate management skills, such as decision-making, problem definition, project design and evaluation, risk management, teamwork and coordination, and resource and time management
• 8. Integrate and evaluate information from a variety of sources using state-of-the-art communications technology

Syllabus plan

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that they syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

• Management solutions
  • Control and reduction
  • Ecological restoration
  • Reserves
• Reserve design
• Reserve networks
  • Challenges
  • Protected areas as islands
• Planning for future change
• Public versus private land
  • Community-based approaches
  • Conservancies
  • Governance and development
• Conservation case studies and discussion
• Monitoring and adaptive management
• Principles of adaptive management
  • Technological innovations

Learning and teaching

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Re-assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Two assessments are required for this module. In all cases re-assessment will be the same as the original assessment. Where you have been referred/deferred for any form of assessment detailed above you will have the opportunity to retake within the period specified above from the date that feedback was provided.

If you pass re-assessments taken as a result of deferral, your re-assessment will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment and the overall module mark will not be capped.

If you pass re-assessments taken as a result of referral (i.e. following initial failure in the assessment), the overall module mark will be capped at 50%.

Resources

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Key texts:

• Burney, D. A., and L. P. Burney. 2007. Paleoecology and “inter-situ” restoration on Kauai, Hawaii. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 5:483–490.
• Ewel, J. J., J. Mascaro, C. Kueffer, A. E. Lugo, L. Lach, and M. R. Gardener. 2013. Islands: Where novelty is the norm. In Novel ecosystems: Intervening in the new ecological world order. Edited by R. J. Hobbs, E. S. Higgs, and C. M. Hall, 29– 44. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
• Florens, F. B. V., and C. Baider. 2013. Ecological restoration in a developing island nation: How useful is the science? Restoration Ecology 21:1–5.
• Kueffer, C., and C. Kaiser-Bunbury. 2014. Reconciling conflicting perspectives for biodiversity conservation in the Anthropocene. Frontiers in Ecology and Environment 12:131–137.
• Meyer, J. -Y., R. Pouteau, E. Spotswood, R. Taputuarai, and M. Fourdrigniez. 2015. The importance of novel and hybrid habitats for plant conservation on islands: A case study from Moorea (South Pacific). Biodiversity and Conservation 24:83–101.?

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• IUCN Red List: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ 
• Biodiversity Hotspots: https://www.conservation.org/How/Pages/Hotspots.aspx 
• WWF Global 200 Ecoregions: https://www.worldwildlife.org/publications/the-global-200-priority-ecoregions-for-global-conservation 
• Channel Islands Marine Protected Area: https://www.nps.gov/chis/learn/nature/marine-protected-areas.htm 
• Climate-smart conservation: https://wwf.panda.org/our_work/climate_and_energy/climate_change_adaptation/climate_smart_conservation/ 
• Parks and Peoples: The Social Impact of Protected Areas
• https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Planning/NCCP 
• NatureVest: http://www.naturevesttnc.org/ 
• SMART: http://smartconservationtools.org/ 
• Open Standards: http://cmp-openstandards.org/ 

Module has an active ELE page

Key words search

Island, biodiversity, conservation, legislation, restoration, environmental law, strategies