Systematic Planning for Biodiversity Conservation Projects
WIS 6934
Note: If you wish to register for Fall 2012, please click here.
The world is in the midst of a biodiversity loss crisis, and conservation practitioners have limited resources (money, time, and people) to combat this loss. To be effective with those resources, conservation practitioners need to carefully choose and prioritize their strategies, monitor whether they are being effective, and adapt strategies when they are not working. In addition, to obtain support from funders, partners, or stakeholders, practitioners need to be able to clearly communicate their goals and strategies, demonstrate their effectiveness, and rely on clear, transparent decision-making.
This course is designed for graduate students who are interested in applied biodiversity conservation, as a career or in terms of implementing a conservation project. The goal of the course is to provide students with training and experience in a systematic and adaptive process for planning projects to conserve biodiversity. The course will be structured around the Conservation Measures Partnership's cycle for planning and implementing conservation projects (above), and will focus on the Conceptualization and Planning portions of the cycle (Phases 1 and 2). By course end, students should be:
- Fluent in the language of conservation planning & adaptive management
- Familiar with the basic steps for planning & implementing a conservation project
- Skilled at developing clear & useful visions, goals, objectives, & monitoring frameworks
- Familiar with different approaches to & challenges associated with selecting focal biodiversity
- Comfortable with planning tools including Miradi Planning software, conceptual models, & threat assessments
Course Instructor: Lyn Branch
