The information below is subject to change as the course is still being developed. The information will be made definite in June 2026.
Biodiversity is critical for both ecosystem functioning and the wellbeing of societies. Current extinction rates are unparalleled and caused by human impacts, like land-use change, overexploitation, pollution and climate change. The result is a decrease in services provided by our degraded ecosystem which affects health, well-being, livelihoods and the economy. Understanding how we impact our natural systems and what we can do to mitigate these effects, is key for conservation efforts. In this course, we aim to connect theory and practice of conservation biology. At the same time, the risks, costs and benefits of conservation efforts are not equally distributed among different groups of societal actors and stakeholders. These inequalities, and the historical, socio-economic and socio-cultural factors influencing these are important subjects in the anthropology of sustainability. In this course we will foster students to explore the added value of combining insights and analyses from both conservation biology and anthropology in the development of conservation strategies and action plans.
The course will build on the first year Applied Ecology and Anthropology of Sustainability courses where basic ecological/anthropological concepts have been introduced. We will discuss biological concepts that are relevant to diagnosing and treating the decline of populations, species and ecosystem health (including conservation genetics, alternative stable states and ecological resilience). We will also discuss common livelihoods frameworks, and insights from political ecology to analyze impacts of various conservation strategies and initiatives. We will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different conservation tools and approaches including impacts on the livelihood strategies of local residents. We will also discuss important considerations for setting up a conservation action plan (for example, what is the end goal and why; do you focus on a species or habitat; and how do you measure progress?). We will discuss the reality of implementing scientific theory into conservation practice, and why the incorporation of societal, political and/or economic considerations is important to the success of conservation programs.