Advanced Conservation Biology

This course will cover conservation at the population, species and ecosystem level. Relevant principles from behavioural ecology, population and community ecology, genetics and evolution will be related to conservation biology. Both the theoretical foundations of conservation biology and empirical examples will be covered.

Knowledge: Students will gain insights into ecological and evolutionary processes critical for biodiversity conservation, as well as familiarize themselves with prominent conservation and management approaches.

Skills: The course will develop students' abilities in analyzing and evaluating conservation-related processes and mechanisms, critically interpreting scientific results in conservation biology, and planning for the management of biodiversity using theoretical and data-driven approaches. Students should be able to present and discuss new literature in theoretical and applied conservation biology, deal with complex technical questions and challenge established knowledge and practice in the field.

General Competence: Participants will acquire advanced knowledge in biodiversity and conservation biology, beneficial for both scientific research and practical management. Students shall be able to:

• Participate in debates within the field of national and international forums
• Identify new relevant issues
• Assess the appropriateness and the application of various methods and processes in research

The course includes lectures, seminars, and exercises. In the seminars, students engage with selected scientific papers through reading, presentation, and discussion, with a focus on both scientific content and methodology. Additionally, students may be tasked with writing a report, depending on the discretion of the instructors.

Seminar participation is mandatory. Students are expected to participate actively and contribute to learning activities such as seminars, exercises and potential writing tasks for seminar participation to be approved. PhD students are expected to take a leading role (planning, execution, lead discussions) in these activities.