Difference between revisions of "Introduction to Conservation Biology"

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(Schedule of Lectures and Examinations (subject to change))
 
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== EEB 208 (2208): Spring 2008 ==
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The web page for EEB 2208 has moved to a new site [http://elphick.lab.uconn.edu/intro-to-conservation-biology/ here].
  
{{Under Construction}}
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[[Category:EEB Courses]]
 
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This course will provide an introduction to the discipline of conservation biology. The first two-thirds of the course, will focus on the biological aspects of the discipline. Topics covered will include patterns of biodiversity and extinction, causes of extinction and population declines, techniques used to restore populations, landscape level conservation planning, and the role of conservation in protecting ecosystem services. The final third will cover the practical aspects of implementing conservation actions and will include lectures on conservation economics and conservation law.
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'''Credits:''' 3
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'''Instructor:''' [http://hydrodictyon.eeb.uconn.edu/people/birdlab/elphick.html Chris Elphick] (office: 300A BioPharm, behind the elevator at the north end of the building)
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'''Teaching assistant:''' [http://hydrodictyon.eeb.uconn.edu/eebedia/index.php/Vanessa_Boukili Vanessa Boukili] (office: 219 BioPharm)
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'''Lecture:''' M, W 2:00-3:15 PM
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'''Location:''' Bio & Phys 131
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'''Text book:''' [http://www.sinauer.com/detail.php?id=7200 Essentials of Conservation Biology (R.B. Primack, 4th Edition, Sinauer)] is required reading.  On exams I will assume you have read this material and may ask questions (though not many) about topics that are not covered in lectures.
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'''Research paper readings:'''  In some lectures, I will provide supplemental readings from the primary research literature to augment the text book readings.  These readings will be the subject of class discussions and your participation in the discussions will be graded.  See the syllabus below for more information on when these discussion will occur and what is expected of you.
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'''Optional reading that might be helpful:'''  Other introductory textbooks that might be worth looking at for supplemental information are Fundamentals of Conservation Biology by Malcolm Hunter and Conservation Biology by Andrew Pullin.  If you are interested in more advanced information, then look at Principles of Conservation Biology by Groom, Meffe and Carroll.  Finally, if you are really interested in this topic, then you will be well served if you check out recent issues of the journal [http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0888-8892&site=1 Conservation Biology] (note that to read articles you will need to be connected to the UConn system).
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'''Questions:'''  Please ask lots of them!  Class is much more interesting (for me and you) when people ask questions.  If you send me questions over email, I will post them (anonymously) along with the answers on this web site, so that everyone can benefit from the answers.
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'''Office hours:'''  I do not have fixed office hours because they inevitably do not work for someone.  But, I will try to always be present for at least 15 minutes before and after each lecture to answer simple questions.  I’m also happy to meet at other times by appointment.  The best option is to email me, telling me (a) what you want to discuss and (b) when would be good times to meet (Mon, Tues, or Wed are best). 
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'''My course objectives:''' In general, my goal is to provide you with a basic understanding of the scientific field of conservation biology and the application of science to solving conservation problems.  If you are just taking this course out of general interest, then hopefully it will provide you with a sense of how the biological sciences can be applied and will give you a better understanding of the main issues in conservation biology.  For those of you wishing to pursue a career in conservation biology, I hope that this course will give you a solid foundation on which to build with future courses (e.g., EEB 310).  If this is your goal, I’d also encourage you to check out [http://hydrodictyon.eeb.uconn.edu/department/BSMS/ EEB’s joint BS/MS program in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology].  There are also links to good sites for finding internships and jobs (short-term and permanent) in conservation biology on the course web site.
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'''Overall teaching philosophy:'''  My primary goal is for you to learn and understand basic concepts and general ideas, rather than for you to learn lots of very specific facts (though to get an A, knowing the details is important too).  I will expect you to know examples relating to each major concept, so that you can relate the theory to practical, real-world situations.  I won’t expect you to know, for example, exactly how many species have gone extinct in the last 500 years (though I will expect you to know whether it is closer to 6 or 20,000).  The text book readings are intended to complement the lectures.  My lectures will not repeat verbatim what is in those readings, and I will often use different examples or cover somewhat different topics.  Both the lecture material and the readings, however, are important and could appear on exams.
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== Schedule of Lectures and Examinations (subject to change) ==
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The schedule below describes the order in which we will cover material.  Not every topic fits nicely into the time set aside for a lecture, so be prepared for us to start some topics a lecture early, and for others to take longer than the syllabus suggests.
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For each lecture I will aim to post an outline ahead of time (linked to the topic titles in the syllabus below).  Reading these notes before each lecture should help you follow the material, and some people like to print them out so that they can spend more time listening and less time writing.  These outlines, however, ARE NOT a substitute for coming to class or doing the text book readings, and you should not expect them to include everything covered in class (e.g., none of the graphics will be in the web notes).  In exams, you will be expected to know about all the things I talked about, not just the information in the web notes.  Based on past experience, you can expect to drop a grade if you choose to rely only on the web notes.
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<font color= "#FF0000">'''**'''</font> Means that there is important supplemental reading from the primary literature that we will discuss in class (yes, you really do need to read it as I will be picking people in class to talk about the paper).  Links to the relevant papers can be accessed by clicking on the <font color= "#FF0000">'''**'''</font> below on the syllabus.  These links might not work if you are not using a computer that connects to the UConn network.  It is possible to connect your home computers to the network by going to [https://vpn.uconn.edu/dana-na/auth/url_default/welcome.cgi this site] and signing in using your netID.
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<font color= "#00B800"> In the syllabus I have also noted special lectures (in green) that will take place on campus this semester and that will help you to do well in this course. </font color>
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{| border="1" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="6" align="center"
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! Lecture
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! Date 
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! width="400"|Topic
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! Reading
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! Announcements
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|-
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| 1
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| 23 Jan
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| [http://hydrodictyon.eeb.uconn.edu/eebedia/images/9/9d/EEB208_01_intro.pdf What is conservation biology?]
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| Chapter 1
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| [http://hydrodictyon.eeb.uconn.edu/eebedia/images/b/b8/EEB208_Grading_Policies.pdf Grading policies]
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|-
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| 2
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| 28 Jan
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| Interpreting statistics (when there’s an agenda)
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| Chapter 6
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|
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|-
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| 3
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| 30 Jan
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| Global change
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| pp. 205-212 [http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v421/n6918/pdf/nature01333.pdf <font color= "#FF0000">'''**'''</font>]
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|
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|-
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| 4
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| 4 Feb
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| Forms of biological diversity
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| Chapter 2
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|
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|-
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| 5
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| 6 Feb
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| Patterns of biodiversity
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| Chapter 3  [http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v436/n7053/pdf/nature03850.pdf <font color= "#FF0000">'''**'''</font>]
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|
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|-
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|
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| <font color= "#00B800">7 Feb</font color>
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| <font color= "#00B800">TEALE LECTURE: Brewing biodiversity: the ecology of coffee farms in Chiapas, Mexico (Ivette Perfecto)</font color>
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|
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| <font color= "#00B800">4:00PM, Konover Auditorium, Dodd Center</font color>
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|-
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|6
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| 11 Feb
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| Extinction rates
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| Chapter 7
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|
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|-
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| 7
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| 13 Feb
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| Patterns of extinction
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| Chapter 8 [http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/0509060102v1 <font color= "#FF0000">'''**'''</font>]
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|
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|-
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| 8
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| 18 Feb
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| Causes of population decline
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| Study lectures 1-8
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|
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|-
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|
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| 20 Feb
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| <font color= "#FF0000"> '''Exam 1''' </font>
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| Sample questions
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|
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|-
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| 9
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| 25 Feb
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| Habitat loss & degradation
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| Chapter 9
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|
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|-
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| 10
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| 27 Feb
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| Over-exploitation
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| Chapter 10 [http://limnology.wisc.edu/courses/zoo510/myers_cascade_scallops.pdf <font color= "#FF0000">'''**'''</font>]
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|
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|-
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| 11
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| 3 Mar
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| Invasive species
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| Chapter 10
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|
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|-
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| 12
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| 5 Mar
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| Disease
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| Chapter 10 [http://www.jstor.org/cgi-bin/jstor/printpage/15409295/ap070004/07a00220/0.pdf?backcontext=page&dowhat=Acrobat&config=jstor&userID=896358b7@uconn.edu/01c0a8346731117645c413c&0.pdf <font color= "#FF0000">'''**'''</font>]
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|-
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| 10 Mar
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| No Class: SPRING BREAK
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| Next discussion paper
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| .. which is long!
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|-
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| 12 Mar
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| No Class: SPRING BREAK
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|-
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| 13
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| 17 Mar
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| Small population conservation
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| Chapter 11 [http://www.jstor.org/view/00218790/ap990160/99a00010/0 <font color= "#FF0000">'''**'''</font>]
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|-
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| 14
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| 19 Mar
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| Population viability analysis
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| Chapter 12
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|
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|-
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| <font color= "#00B800">20 Mar</font color>
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| <font color= "#00B800">TEALE LECTURE: Hope in a dark time: The promises of religious environmentalism (Roger Gottlieb)</font color>
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| <font color= "#00B800">4:00PM, Konover Auditorium, Dodd Center</font color>
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|-
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| 15
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| 24 Mar
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| PVA (cont.); includes simulation example
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| pp. 302-320, Ch. 13 [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V5X-4PC4F9X-3&_user=669286&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000036298&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=669286&md5=1327b4dc19c6f87f8aeaaab0a3219f72 <font color= "#FF0000">'''**'''</font>]
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|
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|-
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| 16
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| 26 Mar
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| Conservation genetics
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| Chapter 14
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|-
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| 17
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| 31 Mar
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| Ex situ conservation, release programs
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| Study lectures 9-17
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|-
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| 2 Apr
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| <font color= "#FF0000"> '''Exam 2''' </font>
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| Sample questions
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|-
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| 18
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| 7 Apr
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| Conservation reserves
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| Chapter 15
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|-
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| 19
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| 9 Apr
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| Reserve networks; <font color= "#FF0000"> '''Papers due''' </font>
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| Chapter 16
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|-
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| <font color= "#00B800">10 Apr</font color>
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| <font color= "#00B800">TEALE LECTURE: This Earth, Our Mother (Joseph Bruchac)</font color>
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|
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| <font color= "#00B800">4:00PM, Konover Auditorium, Dodd Center</font color>
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|-
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| 20
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| 14 Apr
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| Conservation in the matrix
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| Chapter 18 [http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/104/47/18555 <font color= "#FF0000">'''**'''</font>]
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|
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| 21
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| 16 Apr
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| Management
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| Chapter 17
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|-
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| 22
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| 21 Apr
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| Habitat restoration
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| Chapter 19 [http://www.eeb.cornell.edu/donlan/PDFS/Re-wildingNorthAmerica.pdf <font color= "#FF0000">'''**'''</font>]
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|-
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| 23
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| 23 Apr
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| Economics of conservation
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| Chapters 4, 5
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|
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|-
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| 24
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| 28 Apr
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| Conservation law
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| Chapter 20 '''**'''
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|
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|-
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| 25
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| 30 Apr
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| International legislation
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| Chapter 21, 22
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|
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|-
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|
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| <font color= "#FF0000"> '''Final exam''' </font>
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|
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| Cumulative
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|}
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Please note that these lecture notes are intended for students in EEB 208 at The University of Connecticut, and may not make sense in other contexts.  If, however, they are useful to you, please use them - but kindly let me know first.  If you find errors, please let me know that too.
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== Other information ==
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For information about EEB's Joint B.S./M.S. degree program in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology [http://hydrodictyon.eeb.uconn.edu/department/BSMS/ click here]
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For information about the Society for Conservation Biology [http://www.conbio.org/?CFID=6617594&CFTOKEN=86148795 click here]
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For information on jobs in conservation biology [http://www.conbio.org/resources/?CFID=6617594&CFTOKEN=86148795 click here]
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For information on jobs in wildlife biology [http://wfsc.tamu.edu/jobboard/index.htm click here]
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Latest revision as of 20:12, 16 January 2017

The web page for EEB 2208 has moved to a new site here.