Conservation Biology

Catalog description

Society and individual lives are increasingly affected by environmental degradation at different scales. From the decline of local fisheries to global climate change, multiple crises threaten the biodiversity and ecosystems that sustain us humans. This course introduces the scientific foundations of conservation biology, along with examples from real-world conservation. The course reviews the biological concepts that underlie conservation including habitat requirements, population dynamics, biogeography, and population genetics. Analysis of case studies on the effects of human activities on biological diversity and ecosystem services will be used to explore the interdisciplinary nature of the practice of conservation. This course will prepare students for careers in environmental sciences and ecology. This course routinely offers an opportunity to satisfy the Stony Brook Curriculum WRTD and Upper Division Writing Requirements for the Biology and Biochemistry majors. Students who intend to use the writing assignment in this course to satisfy these requirements must register for BIO 459 when they register for BIO 336.