Marine ecosystems support extraordinary biodiversity and provide essential ecological services, including food production, climate regulation, nutrient cycling, and carbon sequestration. Despite their importance to human societies, marine species and habitats face unprecedented pressures from climate change, overexploitation, habitat loss, pollution, invasive species, and emerging industrial activities such as deep-sea mining. This graduate course examines the scientific foundations of marine conservation through the various perspectives of ecology, evolution, oceanography, and biodiversity science. Students will explore how marine organisms and ecosystems respond to environmental change across multiple levels of biological organization—from genes and populations to communities and ecosystems—and critically evaluate conservation and restoration strategies in coastal and oceanic environments.
Students will present short lectures on selected topics in marine conservation biology, lead seminar discussions based on scientific literature, and work collaboratively in problem-solving workshops that culminate in group presentations addressing contemporary conservation challenges. Throughout the quarter, students will develop skills in critically evaluating scientific evidence and applying it to real-world conservation planning. As a major project, students will complete the online International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assessment training course and prepare a conservation assessment modeled after an IUCN species or ecosystem account. These assessments will synthesize current scientific knowledge, evaluate conservation status and threats, and identify research and management priorities.
In-Person Class Format: This course is offered fully in-person. Students should expect to attend in person for all class periods. We cannot promise to offer remote attendance options due to illness or other absences. Students should strategize methods for getting notes from class when attendance is not possible.
Class Schedule: Monday nights, 6:00 pm-10:00 pm, PST
Qualified undergraduates may be enrolled with an undergraduate CRN for this course with faculty signature approval.