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Global Conservation Strategies and Legislation

Module description

This module is divided into two sections: 1) Global Conservation Strategies for islands and their biotas and 2) Conservation Legislation. Part one explores Conservation Biology strategies and policies, with special emphasis in the role of the more important NGOs (IUCN, WWF, CI, NC, Birdlife, etc) and public administrations (UK, EU, UNEP, etc.). Furthermore, the fundamentals and history behind relevant Conservation Biology concepts, such as red lists, protected area networks, threatened categories, species catalogues, etc. are analysed. Part two introduces key UK and EU legislation on Conservation, highlighting their similarities and differences, as well as the international agreements dealing with Conservation Biology, such as Convention on Biological Diversity, Bern Agreement or CITES.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module is an introduction to public institutions and private NGOs working in Conservation Biology, and the main objectives and goals regarding Conservation Biology that have emerged from international meetings (Stockholm, Rio I, Johannesburg, Rio II, etc.) are critically analysed. Again, there is a particular emphasis on UK and European Union countries and conservation legislation, with some material covering international agreements existing in Biodiversity Conservation.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Classify threatened species according to IUCN categories
• 2. Evaluate the vulnerability of the biota of a specific island
• 3. Suggest and carry out actions against environmental problems with conservation consequences, and increasing the survival likelihood of threatened populations and species

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Apply statistical and modelling skills to understand and interpret quantitative analyses using the more important statistical computational tools and packages
• 5. Analyse scientific results and determine their strength and validity

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Communicate effectively through oral presentations, written reports, posters and scientific publication
• 7. Demonstrate management skills, such as decision-making, problem definition, project design and evaluation, risk management, teamwork and coordination, and resource and time management
• 8. Integrate and evaluate information from a variety of sources using state-of-the-art communications technology

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that they syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

• Management solutions
  • Control and reduction
  • Ecological restoration
  • Reserves
• Reserve design
• Reserve networks
  • Challenges
  • Protected areas as islands
• Planning for future change
• Public versus private land
  • Community-based approaches
  • Conservancies
  • Governance and development
• Conservation case studies and discussion
• Monitoring and adaptive management
• Principles of adaptive management
  • Technological innovations

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons that are approved by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. If deferred, the format and timing of the re-assessment for each of the summative assessments is detailed in the table above ('Details of re-assessment'). The mark given for a deferred assessment will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral - if you have failed the module (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 50%) and the module cannot be condoned, you will be required to complete a re-assessment for each of the failed components on the module. The format and timing of the re-assessment for each of the summative assessments is detailed in the table above ('Details of re-assessment'). If you pass the module following re-assessment, your module mark will be capped at 50%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Key texts:

• Burney, D. A., and L. P. Burney. 2007. Paleoecology and “inter-situ” restoration on Kauai, Hawaii. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 5:483–490.
• Ewel, J. J., J. Mascaro, C. Kueffer, A. E. Lugo, L. Lach, and M. R. Gardener. 2013. Islands: Where novelty is the norm. In Novel ecosystems: Intervening in the new ecological world order. Edited by R. J. Hobbs, E. S. Higgs, and C. M. Hall, 29– 44. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
• Florens, F. B. V., and C. Baider. 2013. Ecological restoration in a developing island nation: How useful is the science? Restoration Ecology 21:1–5.
• Kueffer, C., and C. Kaiser-Bunbury. 2014. Reconciling conflicting perspectives for biodiversity conservation in the Anthropocene. Frontiers in Ecology and Environment 12:131–137.
• Meyer, J. -Y., R. Pouteau, E. Spotswood, R. Taputuarai, and M. Fourdrigniez. 2015. The importance of novel and hybrid habitats for plant conservation on islands: A case study from Moorea (South Pacific). Biodiversity and Conservation 24:83–101.Ã?�Ã?¢Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Ã?�Ã?¨

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• IUCN Red List: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ 
• Biodiversity Hotspots: https://www.conservation.org/How/Pages/Hotspots.aspx 
• WWF Global 200 Ecoregions: https://www.worldwildlife.org/publications/the-global-200-priority-ecoregions-for-global-conservation 
• Channel Islands Marine Protected Area: https://www.nps.gov/chis/learn/nature/marine-protected-areas.htm 
• Climate-smart conservation: https://wwf.panda.org/our_work/climate_and_energy/climate_change_adaptation/climate_smart_conservation/ 
• Parks and Peoples: The Social Impact of Protected Areas
• https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Planning/NCCP 
• NatureVest: http://www.naturevesttnc.org/ 
• SMART: http://smartconservationtools.org/ 
• Open Standards: http://cmp-openstandards.org/ 

Key words search

Island, biodiversity, conservation, legislation, restoration, environmental law, strategies