This course serves as an introduction to the disciplines of ecology and conservation biology and is aimed at imparting knowledge to students to help them understand and appreciate concepts and issues concerning biodiversity and conservation at local, regional, and global levels. We will begin very broadly laying the foundation of environmental sciences and by mid-term, students should have an inter-disciplinary understanding of the major concepts and themes in conservation and biodiversity science. Each week we will have ~2 readings (scientific journal articles, essays, etc.) of scholarly interest in environmental science and other disciplines. This, in turn, will facilitate formation of focus groups that will learn more about specific areas in the environmental sciences.

What is biodiversity and what are the benefits society derives from it? Why should we conserve biodiversity and what is its value? How can we learn from loss of biodiversity and generate awareness among stakeholders about the need to conserve biodiversity? What do traditional societies tell us about conservation? How do we bring about a synthesis of science and management in conservation of biodiversity for a balanced and sustainable development? These are some of the important questions that would be addressed and examined during the semester. Through this course, we will attempt at encouraging students to appreciate the paradigm “think globally, act locally” for a sustainable common future of humankind.

The major topics covered in this module are:
Levels of organization in the living world.
Species and bio-geography.
Biodiversity gradients and hot spots.
Extinction and conservation.
Why, how, and what to preserve?
Biodiversity, ecological economics, and ethics.
Conservation and policy.
Peoples’ movements – local, regional and global success stories.