Overview

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Academic contacts

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Offerings

MURDOCH-S1-INT-2018-ONGOING

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Requisites

Prerequisite
Exclusion

Other learning activities

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Learning activities

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Learning outcomes

1.
Illustrate by reference to specific examples that issues in conservation often require input from scientists, economists, sociologists and politicians for resolution.
2.
Present a rationale, grounded principally in science, but with relevant information from the disciplines of economics, sociology and politics, for the conservation of the biological resources of the earth.
3.
Define, with examples, key terms and concepts such as biodiversity, extinction, population viability, sustainable harvest, endemism, rehabilitation, restoration, keystone species, and multiple use management.
4.
Integrate your understanding of objectives 1-3 to a) Critically evaluate both technical and lay writings on conservation issues by identifying the central points, assessing the logic and factual accuracy of arguments, data and methodology, and being alert to both implicit and explicit bias on the part of the author(s). b) Outline the steps necessary to formulate a recovery plan or action plan for specified organisms.
5.
Communicate effectively your understanding of Objectives 1-4 in both written and spoken forms.
6.
Communicate effectively your understanding of Objectives 1-4 in both written and spoken forms.

Assessments

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Additional information

Unit content:Conservation is of concern to most biologists and an increasing number of non-scientists. Conservation issues are often highly emotive, but as a professional biologist you will be expected to disentangle the emotive issues from the scientific information available. This unit aims to provide you with a biological understanding of the major issues and approaches involved in conservation of flora and fauna, with a particular focus on the unique biota of Western Australia. The lectures cover topics such as biodiversity, population biology, extinction, major threats to the biota, management of biota for conservation or sustainable harvest, and ex situ conservation. And include topics such as; • Principles of population biology • Species richness, rarity, endemism and population extinction • Habitat Degradation (Weeds, Salinity & Phytophthora die back) • Sustainable harvest & overexploitation – forests • Trophic management: ecosystem collapse & predator removal • Conservation genetics • Kimberley conservation and biodiversity • Reptile conservation • Urban biodiversity • Spatial tools for biodiversity conservation • Ex situ conservation (plants & animals) • Conservation in the Corporate World • Biodiversity and the influence of climate change
Other notes:As this is a 3 credit point unit, we expect you to spend on average ~14 hours per week for the total weeks of this teaching period (or 150 hours overall, or 50 hours per credit point) working on this unit. This includes the 4 hours of on campus activities scheduled in the timetable). We would expect that you go over the required reading material of the unit as part of this time commitment.