Earth Care: Applying Knowledge to Conservation

NATRES 4350

This course is a review and analysis of the diverse ways knowledge can be used in conservation and environmental management.  Lectures present the principles and methods used in different approaches.  Cases illustrate how conservation was developed and applied.  Discussions evaluate the merits and limitations in theory and practice.

Topics:

1.  Science & Conservation

2.  Standards and criteria

3.  Rewilding and biomanipulation

4.  Endangered species

5.  Sustainability

6.  Ecosystem management

7.  Biological Criteria and Indexing

8.  Ecosystem Services

9.  Restoration

10.  Renaturing

11. 11. National Environmental
    

       Policy Act

12.  Adaptive Management

13.  Habitat-based analysis

14.  Protected Areas

What students say:

See:   http://ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=1134053

"Really good class. Wide range of material with a  good mix of information and practical application (case studies).  Interested and attentive professor."

"Great class! Timely and important subject matter...pulled together things I've learned in other classes."

Systems in the Environment

NATRES 6360

Ecosystems are posed as human-natural entities that can be understood, managed, and conserved.  Systems theory provides principles for analyzing ecosystems and ecosystem research provides practices and methods for conservation.  Both perspectives will be developed to investigate ecosystems as units of management and study.  Examples will range from sand to society with an emphasis on plants and animals.

Topics:

1. Defining Systems and Ecosystems

2. Emergence of Organization

3. Phase-Transitions

4. Self-Organized Criticality

5. Power Laws: Observed and Used

6. The Metabolic Theory of Ecology

7. Resilience

8. Modularity

9. Ecosystem Management

10. Restoration

11. Renaturing

12. Ecosystem Intergrity

13. Rewilding

14. Ecosystem Services

15. Ecological Engineering

What students say:

See:   http://ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=1134053

"This is a very useful course, great organization, interesting materials. Thanks a lot!"

"The 'Systems in the Environment' course was extremely well designed. Complex theoretical ideas were presented in an understandable way with many great examples from real life. Reading assignments were very engaging and quite easy. This is a highly recommended course for grad students!"

"Presented a very diverse & complex literature in a cohesive way. Was very helpful for my graduate studies."

"Bain was able to discuss complicated and abstract systems concepts in an easy to understand fashion. This class has given me excellent background for my graduate education."

"Informed and well prepared to provide multiple cutting edge perspectives. Very useful course."

Sustainable Water Management: Computing Water Requirements for Ecosystem Services

NATRES 6940

Sustainable water management advocates addressing water needs to support human society into the future while also supporting the integrity of the hydrological cycle and environmental services that depend on it.  The water need for environmental services, called the environmental water requirement or ecological water requirement (EWR), is the new component being developed in water management.  This class will develop a protocol for estimating the water requirements to maintain human needs and ecosystem services.  Students will work on one need or service and personally develop the estimation methods.  The class will guide student work and assemble the framework for analysis.  Students will gain a thorough understanding of ecosystem services approach to conservation, methods for estimating water needs, the hydrologic cycle, and water availability and use assessment. Course work will combine ecological and engineering methods for addressing human and natural water requirements.