Discover ecology and how we can protect wildlife and conserve the natural world. Do you worry about the effects of climate change on nature? This course will show you how the work of conservation biologists and study of ecosystems can help with conserving the world’s biodiversity. You’ll explore the impact that the presence of wind farms on populations of seabirds and understand how the use of advanced techniques can be used to study different populations.
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In Week 2, you’ll learn about ecosystems and how they are influenced by human activity. Case studies will explore the reasons behind the bee decline across the world, and examine fish species in tropical seas to see at first-hand how climate change damages coral reefs.
What topics will you cover?
- The moral and economic arguments for nature conservation.
- The impact of human activity on the natural environment.
- Why the conservation of populations and communities are essential for human life.
- How conservation biologists are helping to protect seabirds from offshore wind turbines.
- The impact of climate change on coral reef ecosystems.
- How the loss of coral can lead to ecosystem collapse.
- How large-scale studies are used to understand environmental issues.
- The impact of bee decline across the world.
- How new technology is helping to conserve nature and biodiversity.
Learning on this course
You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...
- Identify, through research, the key threats faced by seabirds, pollinators, and coral reefs
- Explore the impact of global environmental change on two key species and two key ecosystems
- Evaluate real data taken from a field study to investigate the conservation of a group of animals or plants
- Investigate the advanced techniques and technology which are used to study and conserve biodiversity by conservation scientists
Who is the course for?
The course is for anyone with a general interest in ecology and wildlife conservation but it will be particularly useful for students at high school who want to study conservation biology, zoology or biology at university level. The course is part of the Going to University collection and completing it can help improve your university application by broadening your understanding of wildlife conservation and developing your independent learning skills. The course can also be used as a teachers’ classroom enrichment resource.
