TROPICAL ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT

Catalog description

This course will introduce our students to the fundamental concepts of biology, ecology, and conservation of tropical marine ecosystems. The course is divided into four units: introduction to tropical marine ecosystems, threats to the integrity and ecological functioning of marine ecosystems, marine protected areas as a conservation tool and restoration of marine ecosystems. The four units will allow us to understand the physical, biological, and ecological processes that maintain the ecological functioning of tropical marine ecosystems. In turn, the student will have the opportunity to examine how human actions alter the intrinsic ecological processes of tropical marine ecosystems and how such disturbances affect human society. The course also addresses different mechanisms that can be taken to ensure the viability of marine ecosystems and the benefits they provide us.