International biodiversity resource management
Summary
The biodiversity provides humans with a range of resources and ecosystem services. At the international level, there are several conventions, regulations and other initiatives to protect biodiversity. Also, the development of red lists of threatened species forms part of this work. If you wish to learn more about the international collaboration to protect biodiversity, this is the course for you. The skills that you acquire are useful for anyone working with protection of biological diversity.
About
In this course, you will gain insight into a number of international conventions relating to the conservation of biodiversity and biodiversity resources. This includes e.g. the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Convention on International Trade with Endangered Species (CITES), the Ramsar Wetland Convention as well as the World heritage Convention. We also discuss the EU directives dealing with nature conservation and biodiversity protection and how they are implemented.
You will learn about Red-listing classification system and its scientific background. We also discuss how biodiversity can be preserved in situ and ex situ, and the roles gene banks and museum collections play.
In an individual project, we focus on species or areas that are highlighted by an international convention or the red lists. For a species or area of your choice, you describe the biological background, the specific conditions that led to its status as endangered, and the protection that the species is given by international laws and agreements.
Teaching
The course is internet-based. You will get access to a course guide, recorded lectures and some literature via Canvas, the university’s learning platform. There is also a discussion forum on Canvas for interaction with the teachers.
Prerequisites and selection
Entry requirements
University studies of at least three full years, equal to a Bachelor's degree in Science in Biology or Environmental Science and at least one in depth course in systematics of 10 credits in any organism group. Applicants must prove their knowledge of English: English 6/English B from Swedish Upper Secondary School or the equivalent level of an internationally recognized test, for example TOEFL, IELTS.
Selection
Selection is based upon the number of credits from previous university studies, maximum 165 credits.
Facilities
The course is internet-based, with no on-campus activities.
