Introduction to Conservation Biology

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EEB 208 (2208): Spring 2008

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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.

Basic course information

Credits: 3

Instructor: Chris Elphick (office: 300A BioPharm, 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.

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.

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

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.

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).

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 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.

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.

Schedule of lectures and examinations (subject to change)

For a printable version of the syllabus click here (print double-sided to save paper!)

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.

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.

** 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 Conservation genetics 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 Population viability analysis Chapter 13
16 26 Mar Minimum population size 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; Papers due 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 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

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.

Discussion/FAQs

If people send me questions about things that affect everyone I will post the questions (anonymously) and my answers here. Please check here before emailing me to make sure I haven't already posted an answer.

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