Global Ecology and Biodiversity

Humans are increasingly impacting biodiversity through climate and land use change, pollution, overharvesting, and the introduction of invasive species. The resulting biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation is again undermining human livelihoods and well-being, including through undermining climate change mitigation. This course will provide an overview of the up-to-date scientific research into the major pressures on ecosystems, and the trends in different ecosystem components associated with these pressures. In the first half of the course, students will work with recent primary literature to understand the state-of-the-art knowledge, on topics such as: Ecological Resilience; Biodiversity Loss and the 6th Mass Extinction; Climate Change Impacts; Rewilding and Deextinction; Species invasions/ biotic homogenisation. This will be done through class lectures, reading groups, and class discussions. The second half of the course then aims to explore how such primary literature is integrated and synthesized to inform global international policy, through the lens of the International Panel for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Assessment process. The course will give in-depth understanding and working experience with the processes operating in such assessment. Students will be given specific assignments to enhance discussions and exercises in class. The final evaluation will be based on a written portfolio where the student will participate in an IPBES style working group to critically evaluate recent evidence based on one of the themes covered in the first half of the course, and produce an assessment which reviews knowledge gaps and understanding in different areas. This topic will be discussed with the lecturers before the student starts the task.

5 ECTS

Master

Spring