Is it possible to save the World’s most endangered species, even if there are only a few individuals remaining? You will examine today’s cutting-edge techniques that are available to wildlife biologists attempting to save some of the world’s most critically endangered species from extinction. You will be exposed to the challenges of recovering endangered species, including a range of perspectives from priority-setting and resource allocation, to small population biology and the role of zoo collections. You will examine a number of cross-cutting themes relevant to recovering endangered species, including the management of invasive species, leadership of species recovery programmes, island endemic species, species of extreme rarity, reintroduction biology and managing infectious disease in conservation programmes. You will examine iconic case histories and use them as a way to consider the reasons why some programmes are successful whilst others fail. You will consider topics and case studies that will lead you to a reappraisal of particular approaches to species conservation such as institutional priority-setting, field infrastructures and leadership styles which tomorrow’s wildlife biologists will need to restore endangered species in the future.
Lecture 16, Workshop 16
500 words Short Writing Piece. Assessment Details: Abstract of Critical Review worth 20%.
4,000 words Report. Assessment Details: Critical Review worth 80%. This Assessment is Pass Compulsory.
Reassessment Method: Like-for-like
On successfully completing the module, students will be able to:
1) Understand the concept of, and how to determine, extinction risk
2) Critically evaluate the merits of different population recovery techniques including approaches to captive-breeding
3) Recognise the importance of health and disease monitoring of wildlife in the context of endangered species management
4) Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of case studies of international species recovery programmes, and an understanding of reasons that may underpin their success or failure
5) Prioritize conservation management interventions at the species level within a wider context of the main causes of population decline
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