Ocean Conservation: Ecology, Management, and Politics

Catalog description

This course examines ocean conservation, focusing on design, implementation, and effects on ecosystems and people. The use of marine protected areas and marine spatial planning has rapidly increased, and interest in alternative energy, food security, and marine biodiversity conservation has heightened both the use and critique of these tools. Using interdisciplinary team learning, guest visits by practitioners, and traditional lectures, we will explore questions such as: What can spatial management tools do (and not do)? How are they created and managed in particular contexts? Who gets to decide and why? We will explore cases in Rhode Island, Hawai'i, Bermuda, and the high seas to understand ecological and social factors that can lead to management success or failure. Students will write a management plan proposal for a coastal area, including ecological justification, social aspects and implications, and a long-term implementation plan.