Why do it?

The disciplines of conservation biology and applied ecology are two of the fastest growing areas of biology, driven by an imperative to have sound, knowledge-based approaches to managing environmental problems. We work with all manner of plants and animals in all manner of habitats, dealing with problems scaled from genes through to landscapes and ecosystems.

To be a part of these exciting disciplines you need to be aware of the complexity of generating solutions to environmental problems, many of which are driven by social and political constraints imposed upon our biological understanding.

Although your understanding of the biology of your problem is essential to identifying possible management options, you need to be able to put your biology in the context of how likely your options are going to succeed.

What we do

The course is a general introduction to conservation biology and applied ecology, examining pattern and process in natural systems and evaluating how these are being affected by pervasive anthropogenic impacts. Focusing on the conservation, assessment of impacts and the restoration of natural systems, we consider the range of ecological issues environmental scientists must address. We examine the extent of environmental problems; derive explanations of why and how they are occurring and address management options for resolving them. We will derive general principles for these by addressing case studies, chosen from Australian examples when possible. The aim of this unit is for you to understand the processes that go into solving environmental problems from an ecological perspective and how to identify management options. The lectures, tutorials, field trip and practicals have all been designed to address different components of this aim.

The lecture component is designed to introduce you to the problems you will need to solve in your working life and takes a “big picture approach”. We will examine extinction, biodiversity conservation, restoration of damaged systems, consequences of pollution and landscape management. We will also address the role of advocacy in environmental science.

The practical component is designed to give exposure to the scientific tools of a environmental scientist examining ecological questions. The 2-3 hour sessions will involve discussion and group work as you work through questions relevant to the environmental management, particularly in the Sydney basin. Topics have been chosen on the basis of our current lack of understanding so that you are involved in generating solutions to problems needing them. The main purpose of these practicals is to enable you to learn something of the techniques and methods used in ecology and to provide you with an understanding of the application of the subject to real world problems.

The field trip component is designed to give you experience of the tools used by ecologist to survey fauna and flora in a number of different habitats. An understanding of the tools used on the field trip is essential to developing a critical understanding of species impact statements.

We modify material yearly to incorporate the absolute latest in conservation biology into the unit. We do this because keeping abreast of breakthroughs and developments in science is expected of you in your professional life and we feel that you may as well start now.