PřF:Bi8710 Nature Conservation - Course Information
Bi8710 Nature Conservation
Faculty of ScienceAutumn 2024
- Extent and Intensity
- 2/0/0. 2 credit(s) (fasci plus compl plus > 4). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching - Teacher(s)
- doc. Dipl. Biol. Jiří Schlaghamerský, Ph.D. (lecturer)
- Guaranteed by
- doc. Dipl. Biol. Jiří Schlaghamerský, Ph.D.
Department of Botany and Zoology – Biology Section – Faculty of Science
Contact Person: doc. Dipl. Biol. Jiří Schlaghamerský, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Botany and Zoology – Biology Section – Faculty of Science - Timetable
- Mon 10:00–11:50 B11/306
- Prerequisites
- none (but basic knowledge of biology and ecology are certainly useful for understanding the subject)
- Course Enrolment Limitations
- The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
- fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
- Biology with a view to Education (programme PřF, B-UCB) (2)
- Ecological and Evolutionary Biology (programme PřF, B-EKB)
- Course objectives
- The aim of the course is to make the students understand, in the context of historic development, nature conservation as an idea as well as the human activity leading to the achievement of its goals. The students are introduced to the field of conservation biology, major causes or types of threats to nature (past and present), and the measures taken to face them. Stress is put on the interconnection between general biological and ecological principles with the issue of conservation and on the presentation of examples and case studies connected to the Czech or Central European region as well as such important from a global perspective.
- Learning outcomes
- At the end of this course, students should be able to: 1) briefly describe the development of nature conservation as an idea and subject of human activity; 2) use correctly and explain technical terms (and understand the ambiguity of many), like "nature", "biodiversity", "(bio)monitoring", "landscape character", "minimum viable population"; 3) briefly describe the effect of human activity on nature and the major causes of threat to nature in the past and at present, to give actual examples of exterminated or threatened biological species; 4) understand the link between biological and ecological knowledge and conservation (population biology and genetics, minimum dynamic area, etc.); 5) name and explain major methods (tools) of conservation like reintroductions, reserves or inventories; 6) proof basic knowledge of international agreements, EU and Czech regulations regarding conservation, basic types of protected areas in the Czech Republic, and their representation, state (national) administration of conservation issues.
- Syllabus
- History of human impact on nature and the environment - history of nature conservation - global threats (population explosion, climate change, ozone hole, desertification, eutrofication, acidification, environmental pollution) - direct threats to populations, communities and ecosystems (hunting or fishing; habitat disturbance, down-scaling or fragmentation; introduction of predators or competitors) - conservation biology (ecological concepts and theories: r and K-strategies, succession, population ecology, island ecology, theory of the mosaic cycle) - tools and methods of surveying and monitoring populations and communities incl. their evaluation in regard to their application in conservation (surveys, monitoring, red data lists, case studies) - fundamental tools to preserve biodiversity including genetic diversity (species / habitat conservation; in situ / ex situ measures - breeding in captivity, reintroduction, population and habitat management) - habitat management planning - habitat connectivity, protection of migration paths - overview of Czech and international legislation - international conservation activities / programmes, illegal trade with endangered species - categories and examples of protected areas in the Czech Republic and the international categories of protected areas.
- Literature
- recommended literature
- PRIMACK, Richard B. Biologické principy ochrany přírody. Translated by Pavel Kindlmann - Jana Jersáková. Vyd. 1. Praha: Portál, 2001, 349 s. ISBN 80-7178-552-0. info
- PRIMACK, Richard B., Pavel KINDLMANN and Jana JERSÁKOVÁ. Úvod do biologie ochrany přírody. Vyd. 1. Praha: Portál, 2011, 466 s. ISBN 9788073675950. info
- Filip Kolář et al.: Ochrana přírody z pohledu biologa, Dokořán, Praha, 2012.
- not specified
- Storch D. a S. Mihulka: Úvod do současné ekologie. Portál, Praha, 2000.
- Begon, M., J.L. Harper a C.R. Townsend: Ekologie: jedinci, populace a společenstva. 2. vyd. Vydavatelství Univerzity Palackého, Olomouc, 1997.
- Teaching methods
- lectures
- Assessment methods
- The course consists of a series of lectures. Credits are given based on the positive result of an exam. If the number of students exceeds ca 20 the exam at the regular exam dates will be a written one (two regular exam dates are expected), in all other cases oral. Questions posed in written exams will require answers in the form of brief but continuous text, possibly using drawings. Oral exams are done in the form of a conversation based on questions put forward subsequently (without advance preparation time). Questions posed in either form of exam will be chosen in a way allowing to assess if and to what extent the student has understood the treated subject and is able to reflect on it critically. In case that in-person teaching (including exams) will be subjected to substantial restrictions, for instance due to an unfavourable epidemiological situation, the above-described methods of teaching and examination will be adapted to allow distance learning and remote examination using an electronic application ("on-line").
- Language of instruction
- Czech
- Further Comments
- The course is taught annually.
- Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
- Enrolment Statistics (recent)
- Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/sci/autumn2024/Bi8710