African Biodiversity and Conservation

Catalog description

AFR 105 African Biodiversity and Conservation introduces the topic of Biodiversity in Africa, with a focus on how natural features, flora and fauna, and human livelihood systems interact. Additionally, the course will examine forces driving change Biodiversity Loss and Environmental Change in Africa and how humans are contributing to and adapting to these changes. The course uses an integrated approach to study how humans interact with their environments across different environments and scales. We will look at traditional human livelihood systems will include hunting and gathering, agriculture, and pastoralism. Drivers of environmental change and approaches to conservation will be critically compared, as well as how these impact human well-being. Concepts that will be covered include paired social-ecological systems, habitat and ecology, ecological change and thresholds, sustainable resource use, forces of change (including climate change) and impact of environmental change and uncertainty on human well-being and conservation.