SUBJECT

Title

Conservation Biology

Type of instruction

lecture

Level

master

Faculty

Faculty of Science

Part of degree program

Biology MSc

Credits

Recommended in

Semester 3

Typically offered in

Autumn semester

Course description

1. Development and scope of conservation biology. Major fields of conservation biology and the history of their development.

2. Applications of theories supporting conservation biology 1. Conservation genetics, demography, theory of metapopulations.

3. Applications of theories supporting conservation biology 2. Population viability analysis (PVA), Risk assessment.

4. Applications of theories supporting conservation biology 3. The theory of island biogeography.

5. Applications of theories supporting conservation biology 4. Landscape ecology 1. Effects of spatial structures of ecological systems on their functions. Scale dependence of ecological processes.

6. Applications of theories supporting conservation biology 5. Landscape ecology 2. Causes of landscape patterns. Natural disturbances and landscape patterns. Effects of landscape patterns on populations, metapopulations, communities and ecosystems.

7. Theory and practice of conservation planning 1. Major steps of systematic conservation planning.

8. Theory and practice of conservation planning 2. Applications of GIS in conservation planning

9. Theory and practice of conservation planning 3. The analyses of implementation success through examples.

10. Theory and practice of conservation management 1. Development of non-equilibrium paradigm in ecology and its affect on conservation management.

11. Theory and practice of conservation management 2. Conservation management of forests.

12. Theory and practice of conservation management 3. Conservation management of grasslands.

13. Theory and practice of conservation management 4. Conservation management of wetlands

14. Theory and practice of conservation management 5. Biological invasions: biological bases of successful invasions.

15. Theory and practice of conservation management 6. Major invasive species in Hungary and the experience in their control.

Readings

Major text: Primack, R. B. 2006. Essentials of Conservation Biology. 4th ed. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland
Recommended text: Groom, M.J., Meffe, G.K., Carrol, C.R. 2006. Principles of Conservation Biology. 3rd Edition. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland