Introduction to Conservation Biology

EEB 208 (2208): Spring 2008

This article is still under construction. Expect it to change frequently until this notice is removed.

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.

Credits: 3

Instructor: Chris Elphick (office is BioPharm 300A, behind the elevator at the north end of the building)

Teaching assistant: Vanessa Boukili (office: 219 BioPharm)

Lecture: M, W 2:00-3:15 PM

Location: Bio & Phys 131

Text book: 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.

Other reading: 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 Conservation Biology (note that to read articles you will need to be connected to the UConn system).

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 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.

Schedule of Lectures and Examinations (subject to change)

Detailed notes for each lecture are linked to the topic titles in the syllabus below. Reading these notes before each lecture should help you follow the material. These notes are not intended to be a substitute for the textbook readings or for coming to lectures and relying only on the notes will likely result in a lower grade.

** 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 ** 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 this site and signing in using your netID.

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.

Lecture	Date	Topic	Reading	Announcements
1	23 Jan	What is conservation biology?	Chapter 1	Grading policies
2	28 Jan	Interpreting statistics (when there’s an agenda)	Chapter 6
3	30 Jan	Global change	pp. 205-212 **
4	4 Feb	Forms of biological diversity	Chapter 2
5	6 Feb	Patterns of biodiversity	Chapter 3 **
	7 Feb	TEALE LECTURE: Brewing biodiversity: the ecology of coffee farms in Chiapas, Mexico (Ivette Perfecto)		4:00PM, Konover Auditorium, Dodd Center
6	11 Feb	Extinction rates	Chapter 7
7	13 Feb	Patterns of extinction	Chapter 8 **
8	18 Feb	Causes of population decline	Study lectures 1-8
	20 Feb	Exam 1	Sample questions
9	25 Feb	Habitat loss & degradation	Chapter 9
10	27 Feb	Over-exploitation	Chapter 10 **
11	3 Mar	Invasive species	Chapter 10
12	5 Mar	Disease	Chapter 10 **
	10 Mar	No Class: SPRING BREAK	Next discussion paper	.. which is long!
	12 Mar	No Class: SPRING BREAK
13	17 Mar	Small population conservation	Chapter 11 **
14	19 Mar	Population viability analysis	Chapter 12
	20 Mar	TEALE LECTURE: Hope in a dark time: The promises of religious environmentalism (Roger Gottlieb)		4:00PM, Konover Auditorium, Dodd Center
15	24 Mar	PVA (cont.); includes simulation example	pp. 302-320, Ch. 13 **
16	26 Mar	Conservation genetics	Chapter 14
17	31 Mar	Ex situ conservation, release programs	Study lectures 9-17
	2 Apr	Exam 2	Sample questions
18	7 Apr	Conservation reserves	Chapter 15
19	9 Apr	Reserve networks	Chapter 16
	10 Apr	TEALE LECTURE: This Earth, Our Mother (Joseph Bruchac)		4:00PM, Konover Auditorium, Dodd Center
20	14 Apr	Conservation in the matrix	Chapter 18 **
21	16 Apr	Management	Chapter 17
22	21 Apr	Habitat restoration; Papers due	Chapter 19 **
23	23 Apr	Economics of conservation	Chapters 4, 5
24	28 Apr	Conservation law	Chapter 20 **
25	30 Apr	International legislation	Chapter 21, 22
		Final exam		Cumulative

Other information

For information about EEB's Joint B.S./M.S. degree program in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology click here

For information about the Society for Conservation Biology click here

For information on jobs in conservation biology click here

For information on jobs in wildlife biology click here