This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.

Undergraduate Handbook 2024-2025 (archived)

Module BIOL3551: CONSERVATION BIOLOGY

Department: Biosciences

BIOL3551: CONSERVATION BIOLOGY

Type	Level	Credits	Availability	Module Cap	Location
Open	3	20	Available in 2024/2025		Durham

Pre-requisites

Level 2 Ecology (BIOL2461); Level 2 Evolution (BIOL2451)

Corequisites

At least one other Level 3 Biological Sciences Module selected from the following list :Advanced Topics in Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour BIOL3561, Ecology in the Enthropocene BIOL3541, Advanced Topics in Development BIOL3521, Stress and Responses to the Environment BIOL3491, Crops for the Future BIOL3611, Biochemistry and Biotechnology BIOL3601, Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering BIOL3531, Ageing BIOL3591, Advanced Cell Biology BIOL3481, Biology of Disease BIOL3621, Genomics BIOL3651.

Excluded Combinations

None

Aims

To review the scope and aims of conservation biology in the modern world.
To integrate the concept of biodiversity over a range of resolutions, from genes to biomes.
To promote an appreciation of some of the major issues affecting biodiversity.
To provide an understanding of how theory can be applied to practical problems.

Content

Conservation and biodiversity.
Conservation of the individual species.
Conservation of multiple species.
Conservation at landscape-scale, and ecosystem conservation.
Integrating conservation into the global landscape.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge

Knowledge of the importance of genetics in considering conservation of species.
Knowledge of prediction and population modelling applied to conservation of populations.
Knowledge of the role of protected areas and ecotourism in conservation.
Knowledge of the importance of climate change in considering wider issues in conservation.

Subject-specific Skills

To be able to define and measure biodiversity.
To be able to define and relate extinction rates in a historical context.
To be able to apply ecological concepts to conservation problems.
To be able to criticvally assess the potential application of different approaches to conservation problems.

Key Skills

Literacy, in being able to consult and extract information from printed and on-line archives.
IT skills, in using on-line resources for information gathering.
Data analysis, in interpretation and critical analysis of published modeling, experimental and field studies within conservation biology.
Self-motivation, in self-guided learning.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

Lectures deliver subject-specific knowledge.
Workshops reinforce subject-specific knowledge and understanding gained from lectures and the development of key and subject-specific skills.
Self-guided learning contributes to subject-specific knowledge and self-motivation.
Reports are based on subject-specific knowledge.
Unseen examinations demonstrate achievement of the appropriate level of subject-specific knowledge of development, with an emphasis on understanding and communication (essay and problem-based questions).

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity	Number	Frequency	Duration	Total Hours	Attendance Monitored
Lectures	18	Weekly	1 hours p/w	18
Workshops	2	1 per term	3 hour	6	Yes
Field excursion	1		1 day	6	Yes
Preparation & Reading				170
Total				200

Summative Assessment

Component	Component Weighting	Element	Length/Duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
Examination	100%	Unseen formal exam	2 hours	100%	No

Formative Assessment

2 formative examination exercises of 1 hr each.

Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University.