Synopsis:

Ecology and conservation are closely related scientific disciplines that explore the very nature of life in terms of the distribution and abundance of organisms and interactions between organisms and their environment (ecology), and the diversity, scarcity and conservation of species, communities and ecosystems (conservation). This course provides a comprehensive survey of general ecological concepts and principles relevant to the sustainable management of the environment and an understanding of how ecological systems and processes have been impacted upon by human activities. The concept of biodiversity, mechanisms behind speciation and patterns in biodiversity, key threatening processes, and current issues in the conservation of biodiversity are examined.

The course also examines concepts of pattern and processes in human-modified landscapes (including land transformation, habitat fragmentation, patch dynamics, conservation corridors and connectivity), implications for conservation and ecologically sustainable development.

REN8202 Conservation for Sustainable Futures is taught by members of the Faculty of Sciences (Dept. of Biological & Physicals Sciences) at USQ.  The course has been designed to provide an  overview of humankind's interaction with the environment at the global scale. The material is presented in a number of distinct, but closely inter-related modules over the course of the semester (see table below).

Further information can be obtained in the official Course Specifications for this course available through USQConnect. The official REN8202 Course Specifications should be checked in all instances.

1. Ecology & the Environment 

^1. Each Chapter of the External Study Book is equivalent to an internal 2 hour lecture + 2 Hour tutorial (i.e. one weeks study)