REN3301 Biodiversity and Conservation
Recommended Pre-requisite: REN1201. Students are required to have access to a personal computer, e-mail capabilities and Internet access to UConnect. Current details of computer requirements can be found at <http://www.usq.edu.au/ict/students/standards/default.htm>.
The course incorporates an interdisciplinary approach to the study of biodiversity and conservation, with a foundation in ecological theory and principles as a basis for the conservation and management of natural, production and disturbed systems. The concept of biodiversity as an ordered progression in biological complexity, from genes to ecosystems, is reviewed. The mechanisms behind the development of species, ecosystems and biodiversity are explored. The key threatening processes to biodiversity conservation are examined, with a focus on Australian ecosystems whenever feasible, and the processes and theories regarding the extinction of animals and plants are examined. The impact of humans on the earth's biodiversity and current issues in the conservation of biodiversity is also examined, in both global and regional settings. The scientific basis of species and habitat conservation and current practices and problems are also explored.