ECOLOGY 6080 Syllabus - Fall 2015
Principles of Conservation Ecology and Sustainable Development
Catherine Pringle (P):
e-mail: cpringle@uga.edu
Seth Wenger (W):
e-mail: swenger@uga.edu
Lecture: 8-9:15 AM, Tuesday and Thursday, Ecology Seminar Room
Discussion Section: 10:10 – 11:00 AM Wednesday, Ecology Seminar Room
Course Description: This course provides an introduction to both the theory and
practice of conservation ecology. It is appropriate for graduate students from multiple
disciplines, including ecology, anthropology, natural resources, environmental design,
science education, biological & agricultural engineering, plant biology & journalism –
among other disciplines. We strive for an interdisciplinary mix of students which makes
for a dynamic and stimulating class environment.
This is a lecture course with student-led discussion sections. Topics covered
include global biodiversity, conservation ethics, habitat fragmentation and loss, invasive
species, protected areas, conservation planning, restoration, environmental policy, and
sustainability. The course makes heavy use of case studies, including the instructors’ own
experiences in real-world conservation planning, management and policy. This course
fulfills a requirement for the Certificate in Conservation Ecology and Sustainable
Development (CESD) and the Ecology CESD Masters Degree.
By the end of this course students should:
 understand ecological and evolutionary principles that underlie biological diversity;
 explain threats to biodiversity and consequences of biodiversity loss and to identify
linkages among conservation challenges across different biological scales (genes to
landscapes) and geographical scales (local to global);
 demonstrate how ecological and evolutionary principles are applied to solving
conservation challenges;
 articulate our responsibility, as humans, to serve as global land stewards;
 apply critical reasoning skills to assessment, analysis, and synthesis of conservation
problems and solutions; and
 demonstrate a greater understanding of: conservation issues in countries both within
and outside the US; cultural differences in perceptions of problems; and effective
solutions.
Text: Essentials of Conservation Biology, 6th edition by Richard B. Primack, 2014.
Sinauer Associates, ISBN #: 978-1-60535-293-3.
Discussion Section: For the discussion section, you will be paired up with at least one
other person and assigned to lead the discussion on your assigned date for
Wednesday discussions. The purpose of the discussion section is to have a
stimulating discussion, with discussion leaders providing brief background
1
information followed by discussion questions. Discussion leaders will each prepare
at least 2 questions for discussion and give them to instructors on the Thursday
preceding their discussion date. Students are responsible for reading the discussion
material in advance of class and actively participating.
Grading: Midterm is (33.3%), final (33.3%), discussion sessions (33.3%). Exams are
comprehensive. The format will be short essay questions and, because the
enrollment is diverse, you will have some choice of which questions to answer.
You are responsible for ALL lecture and discussion content, text and web site,
DVDs and any additional readings assigned for discussion.
===============================================================
Date
Lecture/Discussion/Text
Week 1:
T
18 Aug
Introductions, class format, and questionnaire
Lecture: (30 min) What is Conservation Biology and Sustainable
Development? (P&W)
Reading: Primack, Chapter 1
CP has an additional reading to add
W
19 Aug
Discussion Section: What is sustainability?
Readings: McDonough & Braungart, The Upcycle, pp 3-49;
MacKay, Sustainable Energy, 10-page summary
Th
20 Aug
Lecture: Global biodiversity and why it is important: historical and
contemporary losses and patterns (P)
Readings: Primack Chapters 2, 3
Week 2:
T
25 Aug
Lecture: Is there a crisis? Threats to global biodiversity (W)
Reading: Chapters 7, 8
W
26 Aug
Discussion Section: Ecosystem services
Reading: Primack, Chapter 5, plus other readings
Th
27 Aug
Lecture: Threats to freshwater biodiversity: Canaries in the coal
mine? (P)
Reading: --
Week 3:
2
T
1 Sept
(Both Pringle and Wenger at LTER All Scientists Meeting)
Guest lecture?
Reading:
W
2 Sept
Discussion Section:
Readings:
Th 3 Sept
Week 4:
T 8 Sept
Lecture: Conservation values and ethics (W)
Readings: Primack, Chapter 6
Lecture: Economics and conservation (W)
Reading: Primack, Chapter 4
W
9 Sept
Discussion Section: International Lending Institutions
Readings: Chapters 1, 2 and 12 in B. Rich (2013) Foreclosing the
future: The World Bank and the Politics of Environmental destruction
Th
10 Sept
Lecture: Environmental Justice in the Age of Globalization (P)
Readings: Primack Chapters 6, 21
Week 5:
T
15 Sept
Lecture: Habitat fragmentation: What constitutes a barrier? (P)
Readings: Primack, Chapter 9, pp 189-196.
CP adds additional readings
W
16 Sept
Discussion Section: Conservation in fragmented landscapes
Readings: recent Science paper on global effects of roads and
addtional readings
Th
17 Sept
Lecture: How can we protect wildlife and biotic integrity in a
fragmented landscape? (P)
Reading: Primack, Chapters 16, 18
CP adds additional readings
Week 6:
T
22 Sept
Lecture: Overexploitation (W)
Reading: Primack Chapter 10 (pp 217-226)
W
23 Sept
Discussion Section: Project 1:
Th
24 Sept
Lecture: Exotic species in the Homogocene (P)
Reading: Primack, Chapter 10, pp 227-237
CP adds additional readings
3
Week 7:
T
29 Sept
Lecture: Case study: Have the Laurentian Great Lakes experienced
an “invasional meltdown”? (P)
Readings: CP Adds readings on invasional meltdown theory
W
30 Sept
Discussion:
Readings:
Th
1 Oct
Lecture: Conservation genetics and the problems of small populations
(P)
Reading: Primack, Chapter 11
Week 8:
T
6 Oct
Lecture: Case study – other topic? (W)
Readings:
W
7 Oct
Discussion Section:
Reading:
Th
8 Oct
MIDTERM (P & W)
Week 9:
T
13 Oct
Lecture: Species & landscape-level approaches to conservation (P)
Reading: Primack, Chapters 11, 12, 13 and 14
W
14 Oct
Discussion Section:
Th
15 Oct
Lecture: Endangered species recovery (P)
Reading: Primack, Chapter 14
Week 10:
T
20 Oct
Lecture: Protected Areas (W)
Reading: Primack, Chapter 15
W
21 Oct
Discussion Section: Conservation Planning Exercise
Th
22 Oct
Lecture:
(W)
4
Week 11:
T
27 Oct
Lecture: Challenges facing protected areas: Case study – Kruger
National Park, South Africa (P)
Reading: Primack, Chapters
W
28 Oct
Discussion Section: Student presentation Privet Restoration Project
Th
29 Oct
Lecture: Ecological Restoration (W)
Reading: Primack, Chapter 19
Week 12:
T
3 Nov
Lecture: Sustainability (W)
Reading:
W
4 Nov
Discussion Section:
Th
5 Nov
Lecture: Sustainability case study?? (W)
Week 13:
T
10 Nov
Lecture: Challenges and future implications of climate change (W)
Reading: Primack, Chapter 9, pp. 205-21
W
11 Nov
Discussion Section:
Readings:
Th
12 Nov
Guest Lecture: Sonia Disease ecology ? Ron Carroll if he is back
from Costa Rica – he gives a great lecture series on global climate
change??
Week 14:
Tu 17 Nov
Lecture: The challenge of synthetic chemicals in the environment (P)
Reading: Primack
W
18 Nov
Discussion Section: REACH legislation in the European Union
Readings: CP provides readings
Th
19 Nov
Lecture: Policy solutions to regulating chemicals in the environment
(P)
Week 15:
THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY WEEK – NO CLASS
5
Week 16:
T
1 Dec
Lecture: Connecting Conservation Science to Policy (W)
Reading: Primack,
W
2 Dec
Discussion Section: Case studies 17.1, 17.3
Th
3 Dec:
Lecture: Conservation in Action: How you can make a
difference (P)
Reading: Primack, Chapters 20, 21, and 22
McNeely, J.A., E. Sterling, K. Mulongoy (2008) Chapter 10: What
individuals can do to help conserve biodiversity, pp 407-427. In: E.
Chivian and A. Bernstein (eds) Ssutaining life: How human health
depends on biodiversity. Oxford University Press
FINAL EXAM: Tuesday, 16 December, 8-11 am
6