BIOL865 World Conservation Biology
About this Unit
Semester 2, 2008
Offered: D2 - Day; Second Half Year
Convenors: Dr Adam Stow; A/Prof Rob Harcourt
Prerequisites/corequisites: None
Credit points: 4
The purpose of this unit is to give an overview of conservation biology on a worldwide scale. Conservation biology is defined as:
the study of the effects which our species, Homo sapiens, is having upon all other species in the biosphere, with the intention of using the understanding gained to prevent the loss of biodiversity and the disruption of ecosystems.
Each Monday and Thursday, two lectures will be held in a row. During the first hour, a lecture will be presented, during most second hours, students are encouraged to engage in a discussion on the lecture topic (see lecture plan below). This discussion will be based both on the lectures themselves and on publications that students will be requested to read during the week before.
Assessment of this component is based on two essays, one on a topic which all students do (40% of total assessment) and another topic of their own choosing (60% of total assessment).
Teaching Staff
Convenor: Dr Adam Stow
Classes
Contact hours: 4 hours per week
Each Monday and Thursday, two lectures will be held in a row. During the first hour, a lecture will be presented, during most second hours, students are encouraged to engage in a discussion on the lecture topic (see lecture plan below). This discussion will be based both on the lectures themselves and on publications that students will be requested to read during the week before.
Unit web page
There is no web page for this unit.
Learning Outcomes
On completing the course, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate a broad understanding of major conservation issues impacting both terrestrial and marine environments
- Describe processes that lead to losses of biodiversity
- Know of various conservation management strategies
- Review, critically evaluate and synthesize diverse scientific literature and communicate and understanding of this in both a written and oral form.
Teaching and Learning Strategy
Schedule of Lectures
| Title |
|---|
| Introduction and Why conserve? |
| Bioprospecting and commercial use, plus discussion |
| Land conservation |
| Forest conservation, plus discussion |
| Freshwater and Atmosphere conservation, plus discussion |
| Climate change, plus discussion |
| Conservation genetics, plus discussion |
| Invasive species:Australia/NZ/Pacific |
| Coastal and marine conservation, plus discussion |
| Invasive plants, plus discussion |
| Fire and conservation, plus discussion |
| Islands in conservation biology, plus discussion |
| What is a pest? plus discussion |
| Habitat loss and degradation |
| Habitat fragmentation |
| Disasters: man made and natural, plus discussion |
| Disease, plus discussion |
| The other 99% (Invertebrate conservation), plus discussion |
| Design of reserves, wildlife corridors, plus discussion |
Relationship between Assessment and Learning Outcomes
| Assessment | Max. Length | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| One-page outline (Essay 2) | ||
| Essay 1 | 4000 words | 40% |
| Essay 2 | 6000 words | 60% |
In both essays, the use of diagrams and figures is encouraged. Citations of referencing should follow the guidelines given below. The outline and the essays should be submitted in electronic form (Word) to this email address: astow@bio.mq.edu.au
Assessment of the essays will be based on:
- Scientific and scholarly content
- Organisation
- Literary quality (we make allowance for people whose first language is not English)
- Logic of arguments presented
No extensions to due dates for assignments are possible, except on grounds of misadventure as defined in the University Calendar.
Essay 1: 40% of assessment
The first essay is on a given topic to be done by all students.
Essay topic: "How many people can Australia support in the long term?"
Maximum no. of words: 4000
The topic picks up on the theme of sustainability of the human population given the Earth's limited resources and the need to conserve other species in the biosphere.
Essay 2: 60% of assessment
The second essay will be on a topic of your own choice. Please e-mail a one-page outline of the essay by August 25 and he will discuss this with you, make any changes needed and give approval for you to go ahead. The essay may cover any topic related to conservation biology which is of scholarly and scientific importance. We will approve a wide range of topics, including ones with historical, economic, political, legal, philosophical or aesthetic components.
Maximum no of words: 6000
Guidelines for written work
Please follow the GSE Writing Guide
| Subject | Guidelines |
|---|---|
| References | All sources of material must be cited in text of essay. Use the Harvard system, e.g. (Jones and Godsend 1992), to do this. Use et al. (= et alia, 'and others') for 3 or more authors, e.g. Jones et al. (1993). Note the italics (or underlining) and the fullstop. Do not use numbering, e.g. ², for citations. |
| Footnotes | Do not use footnotes. |
| Line spacing | Use line spacing of 1.5 or 2 (double). |
| Sections, heading and subheadings | Be sure to use headings and subheadings in essays. Please use the following structure:
Abstracts are usually unnecessary, except in scientific papers, very large essays and reports. |
| Tables and Figures | All tables and figures must be relevant, must have captions and must be referred to in the text, e.g. (Fig. 1). |
| Scientific Naming | Should be italicised (or underlined). |
Required and Recommended Texts/Materials
Sourcebook
The UNEP publication Global Environment Outlook GEO-3 (2002) will be used as a main reference in the lecture series. The book (424 pages!) can be downloaded from the internet (http://www.unep.org/geo/geo3/english/pdf.htm)
Useful books and journals
Seoul, M.E. 1986. Conservation biology, the science of scarcity and diversity. Sinauer Press, Michigan.
Begon, M., J.L. Harper & C.R. Townsend 1996. Ecology: individuals, populations and communities. 3rd ed., Blackwell, Oxford. 945 pp.
Begon, M., M. Mortimer & D.J. Thompson. 1996. Population ecology: a unified study of animals and plants. 3rd ed., Blackwell, Oxford.
Caughley, G. and A.R.E. Sinclair. 1994. Wildlife ecology and management. Blackwell: Oxford.
Clemmons, J.R. and R. Buchholz (eds). 1997. Behavioural approaches to conservation in the wild. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.
Krebs, C.J. 1994. Ecology: the experimental analysis of distribution and abundance. 4th ed., Harper, New York. 800 pp.
Meffe, G.K and Carrol, C.R. 1987. Principles of Conservation Biology. Sinauer Associates, New York.
Primack, R.B. 2002. Essentials of Conservation Biology. Sinauer Associates, New York
There are numerous other books on conservation biology.
Journals
These are some of the journals available in the Macquarie University library (including a reference to hwere to find them). Check the library webpage to see which ones are available in electronic format.
Ambio QH540.A5
Aquatic conservation: marine and freshwater ecosystems AH541.5.W3.A67
Australian Journal of Ecology QH540.A85
Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research GC1.A85
Australian Journal of Zoology QL1.A865
Biological Conservation S900.B5
Canadian Journal of Zoology QL1.N1532
Ecological Monographs QH540.E28
Ecological Applications QH540.E263
Ecology QH540.E3
Environmental Conservation S900.E5
Environmental Research RA565.A1.E85
Journal of Animal Ecology QH750.J65
Forest Ecology and Management SD1.F57
Journal of Animal Ecology QL750.J65
Journal of Experimental Biology QH301.J68
Journal of Wildlife Managment SK351.J68
Mammal Review QL700.M28
Mammalia QL700.M29
Marine Ecology Progress Series QH541.5.S3.M26
Oecologia QH540.O3
Oikos QH540.O35
Researches on population ecology QL750.R42
Science of the Total Environment QH540.S36
Trends in Ecology and Evolution QH540.T73
Wildlife Research QL84.7A8.A8
Plagiarism
The University defines plagiarism in its rules: "Plagiarism involves using the work of another person and presenting it as one's own." Plagiarism is a serious breach of the University's rules and carries significant penalties. You must read the University's practices and procedures on plagiarism. These can be found in the Handbook of Postgraduate Studies or on the web at: http://www.student.mq.edu.au/plagiarism/
The policies and procedures explain what plagiarism is, how to avoid it, the procedures that will be taken in cases of suspected plagiarism, and the penalties if you are found guilty. Penalties may include a deduction of marks, failure in the unit, and/or referral to the University Discipline Committee.
The GSE recommends that students familiarise themselves with the information contained on the Georgetown University Honor Council website which discusses plagiarism in an easy to understand and comprehensive manner.
University Policy on Grading
Academic Senate has a set of guidelines on the distribution of grades across the range from fail to high distinction. Your final result will include one of these grades plus a standardised numerical grade (SNG).
On occasion your raw mark for a unit (i.e., the total of your marks for each assessment item) may not be the same as the SNG which you receive. Under the Senate guidelines, results may be scaled to ensure that there is a degree of comparability across the university, so that units with the same past performances of their students should achieve similar results.
It is important that you realise that the policy does not require that a minimum number of students are to be failed in any unit. In fact it does something like the opposite, in requiring examiners to explain their actions if more than 20% of students fail in a unit.
The process of scaling does not change the order of marks among students. A student who receives a higher raw mark than another will also receive a higher final scaled mark.
For an explanation of the policy see:
http://senate.mq.edu.au/rules/Guidelines2003.doc or
http://senate.mq.edu.au/rules/detailedguidelines.doc
Student Support Services
Macquarie University provides a range of Academic Student Support Services. Details of these services can be accessed at http://www.student.mq.edu.au.
Advice for Students with Disabilities/Health Conditions
The Equity Support Unit (ESU) provides support and assistance to students with a disability/health condition in aiming to ensure that they do not experience disadvantage in reaching their academic potential. Service provision is determined on a case-by-case basis following an assessment of a student's needs and the provision of supporting documentation. Service provision is also dependent on the availability of resources.
To register with ESU, download an Advice of Disability/Health Condition form from http://www.reg.mq.edu.au/academic-index.html. This form must be completed annually, irrespective of whether a disability/health condition is temporary, long-term or permanent. Students wishing to request support services from the ESU should make an appointment to see a Disability Advisor immediately after enrolling at Macquarie University.
Phone: (02) 9850 6494/7497
Fax: (02) 9850 6063
TTY: (02) 9850 6493
Email: equity@mq.edu.au
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