STANDARD COMPETENCIES:

 

 Students will complete two examples of scientific work, including: a critical thinking 8 to 10 page written review of a successful biodiversity conservation project case history with elements including an historical introduction to a problem involving protection, restoration, habitat loss or possible extinction, then providing a solution to the environmental problem, including literature cited of peer reviewed sources; a persuasive digital storytelling movie based on a topic using models of people living in or near nature in wilderness or natural areas or involving new discoveries, new species, agriculture, biomimicry or protecting an enduring ecosystem including relevant philosophies of conservation biology and living examples with workable approaches.  In completing these projects, students will have hands-on field work, research and lab experience where they can hypothesize, design experiments or projects, work, observe, analyze, discuss, and then plan future improvements for their projects, and they can apply various research and conservation strategies appropriate to college level science courses, including the following: identify important problems in conservation; locate and map primary ecosystems where nature is still intact; become aware of literature resources in conservation biology archives and peer reviewed journals; gather, summarize and compare modern and indigenous people’s contributions to civilization by listing foods, medicines and new innovative technologies gleaned from natural sources; compile information from databases widely used in conservation research; document the psychological and material benefits for cultures living close to nature; ethically integrate people living near nature unsustainably into conservation projects; recognize and protect emerging species with likely contributions to humans through knowledge of biomimicry and biophilia; recognize and map plant and animal biogeography; document patterns of evolution, distribution and abundance of our world’s biodiversity; understand how diversity evolves more diversity; design alternative ways to protect nature; compile compelling stories; analyze, synthesize, and evaluate resource management data from multiple sources such as parks and natural areas programs and inventories; demonstrate how our worldviews have biological consequences on biodiversity, seek and present good models for restoring or living with nature.  In addition, students will integrate their training and the advantages of nature conservation knowledge with the following workplace skills:  acquire information, use critical thinking; break down complex problems into multiple steps of logical and do-able projects; create clearer educational programs; understand the impact of humans on habitat loss in time and space and develop appropriate responses in ecological and evolutionary time; design appropriate conservation strategies for communication and education; design, understand and implement legal policy; help students find good enduring models for global nature conservation from people who are working in the field or living with a high quality of life in a highly biodiverse native species environment where evolution can continue; illumine the benefits of the coexistence of humans and nature; scientifically understand how “diversity begets diversity.” Moreover, these skills will help students find gainful employment as they understand and promote the many benefits of visiting or living near healthy ecosystems and educating how they are sustaining the earth’s primary productivity of clean air, purified water, wild-harvested natural products, and where the gleaning of inspiring new innovative technologies are occurring and can continue, and will learn to observe, explore and respect nature, gain reciprocity, and investigate new emerging ways for identifying natural areas of value, to work in teams with groups, cultures, and institutions that have successfully inspired and continue to enable people to live sustainably with nature and with a high quality of life.

 TOPICAL OUTLINE:

 

 • Evolution of life

 • Biodiversity patterns

 • Species to biomes

 • Primary ecosystems

 • Abiotic elements

 • Emergent intelligence

 • Extinction, habitat loss

 • Biodiversity’s value

 • Sustainability

 • Cultural survival

 • World views

 • Island biogeography

 • Nature reserve design

 • Restoration ecology

 • Conservation history

 • National Parks

 • Future biodiversity

 • Biophilia, biomimicry

 • Careers in conservation