NATURE AND RESOURCE CONSERVATION
cod. 05632

Academic year 2009/10
3° year of course - First semester
Professor
Academic discipline
Ecologia (BIO/07)
Field
Discipline ecologiche
Type of training activity
Characterising
48 hours
of face-to-face activities
6 credits
hub:
course unit
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Learning objectives

[object Text] The aim of the course is toprovide the basis of knowledge on problems that afflict both biologicaldiversity and ecosystems, and provide the most recent tools for theirconservation and management. Il corso si propone di fornire i fondamenti per lacomprensione dei problemi che affliggono la diversità biologica e gliecosistemi e fornire gli strumenti più moderni per la loro conservazione egestione

Prerequisites

To have passed the exam of:Botany, Ecology, Genetics, and Zoology.

Course unit content

<br /> Part I: Introduction (0,5 CFU)<br />            Populations,resources, deterioration of the environment and pollution<br />            Culturalchanges, Sustainable development and biological diversity<br /> <br />Part II: Biologicalconservation concepts (0,5 CFU)<br />            Biologicalconservation, biological diversity<br />            Conservationand evolution: the extinction process<br /> <br />PartIII: The value of biological diversity(0.5 CFU)<br />            Directand indirect economic values of diversity<br />            Theethical value of biological diversity<br /> <br />PartIV: Threats to biological diversity (1,5CFU)<br />            Lossof biological diversity: past rates of extinction, human-caused extinctions,island<br />biogeographyand modern extinction rates, local extinctions<br />            Habitatdestruction, fragmentation, and degradation<br />            Forestfragmentation and conservation of biological diversity<br />            Habitatfragmentation in the temperate zone<br />            Exoticspecies introdutions, disease, and overexploitation<br />            Endemicspecies, the legal status of rare species<br />            Vulnerabilityto extinction<br /> <br />PartV: Conservation at the population level (1 CFU)<br />            Theproblems of small populations: loss of genetic variability, demographicvariation,<br />environmentalvariation, extinction vortices<br />            Populationbiology of endangered species<br />            Exsitu conservation strategies<br />            Establishingnew populations<br /> <br />PartVI: Conservation at the community/ecosystem level (1 CFU)<br />            Methodsfor establishing, designing, and managing protected areas<br />            Restorationecology<br />            Conservationand human societies: current state of species and habitats protection<br /> <br />Part VII: Non-biologicalresources (1CFU)<br />            Evaluationof energy resources: perpetuable, renewable, and exhaustible resources<br />            Airas a resource and air pollution<br />            Climate,global overheating and ozone layer depletion<br />            Wateras a resource and water pollution<br />            Soilas a resource and probems linked to its use<br />            Foodresources

Full programme

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Bibliography

[object Text] The teacher suggests thefollowing books:<br />a) Part I and VII:<br />Miller G.T., 1997. Ambiente, Risorse, Sostenibilità.Piccin, Padova. <br /> <br />b) Part II, III, IV, V andVI:<br />Primack R.B., 2003. Conservazione della natura.Zanichelli Editore, Bologna.<br /> <br />Other books:<br />Marchetti R. (Ed.), 1993. Ecologia Applicata. CittàStudi Ed., Milano.<br />Garaguso G.C. & Marchisio S. (Eds.), 1993. Rio1992: Vertice per la Terra. Franco Angeli, Milano.<br />Frankel O.H. & Soulé M.E., 1981. Conservation andevolution. Cambridge University Press. <br />Soulé M.E. (ed.), 1986. Conservation Biology. TheScience of Scarcity and Diversity. Sinauer Ass. Inc., Sunderland.<br />Warren A. & Goldsmith F.B., 1991. Conservation inPerspective. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester.<br />Fiedler P.L. & Jain S.K. (eds.), 1992.Conservation Biology. Chapman & Hall, New York. 

Teaching methods

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Assessment methods and criteria

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Other information

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