精东传媒app

Sustainable management of the earth's natural resources and the conservation of organisms, habitats and ecosystems require knowledge of biodiversity, ecological systems and processes, conservation principles and the effects of human activities. This course provides knowledge of the fundamentals of ecological theory and practice, and an overview of human impacts on ecological systems and processes.

Ecology and conservation are closely related scientific disciplines that explore the very nature of life in terms of the distribution and abundance of organisms and interactions between organisms and their environment (ecology), and the diversity, scarcity and conservation of species, communities and ecosystems (conservation). This course provides a comprehensive survey of general ecological concepts and principles relevant to the sustainable management of the environment and knowledge on how ecological systems and processes have been impacted upon by human activities. The concept of biodiversity, mechanisms behind speciation and patterns in biodiversity, key threatening processes, and current issues in the conservation of biodiversity are examined. The course also examines concepts of pattern and processes in human-modified landscapes (including land transformation, habitat fragmentation, patch dynamics, conservation corridors and connectivity), implications for conservation and ecologically sustainable development.