• Inactive for Year: 2024/25

• Module Leader(s): Dr Louise Mair
• Lecturer: Dr Evelyn Jensen, Dr Pete Robertson, Professor Aileen Mill

• Owning School: Natural and Environmental Sciences
• Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus

Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Aims

The assessment of the status of biodiversity module has three overall objectives:
- To introduce students to a diversity of assessments of the status of biodiversity, spanning across different facets of biodiversity;
- To give students an understanding of the need for - and application of - assessments of the status of biodiversity in global conservation policy and planning;
- To build students’ knowledge of the scientific basis of biodiversity status assessments and develop the practical scientific skills associated with conducting assessments.

This module draws on the research and policy engagement of staff working in the School and aims to develop students’ knowledge and practical skills within a context that creates an understanding of the applicability of these skills.

Outline Of Syllabus

Global biodiversity is under threat from human activities, and the loss of biodiversity is in turn putting human livelihoods and our quality of life at risk. In response to this biodiversity crisis, there are now a multitude of global policies focussed on different aspects of biodiversity conservation. For policies to be effective, we need to understand both the scale of the biodiversity crisis and what responses are needed from a global to local level. This requires assessment of the status of biodiversity – from genes, through species, to ecosystems. Such assessments can be used to identify, for example, species on the brink of extinction, ecosystems at risk of collapse, and the major threats that need to be tackled to improve the state of biodiversity. Assessments of the status of biodiversity therefore form a critical evidence base from which conservation policy and planning are developed and implemented.

This module will draw on the research and policy engagement experience of staff in the School to introduce students to a range of assessments of the status of biodiversity and build the practical skills associated with carrying out assessments. The module will be delivered through a mixture of lectures, workshops, guided self-directed learning, and well-established online learning produced by external organisations specifically to develop capacity in conservation practitioners.

Learning material will:
- Introduce a range of biodiversity assessments - across genetic diversity, species and ecosystems – that have direct application in global conservation policy;
- Develop the practical skills associated with biodiversity assessments, including data analysis and evidence synthesis.

The module will provide students with an understanding of how biodiversity assessments contribute to and interact with global conservation policy. The biodiversity assessments introduced to students will reflect the research interests of staff in SNES, but all have global policy relevance, and possible assessments covered include the extinction risk of species (Red List of Species), the risk of collapse of ecosystems (Red List of Ecosystems), the favourable conservation status of species (Green Status of Species), the genetic diversity of populations and species, and monitoring and assessment of invasive species. Possible assessments have been selected based on their established and evolving scientific basis and policy uptake, providing students with an introduction to the dynamic nature of scientific approaches and the science to policy pipeline.

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Teaching comprises lectures and workshops, supported by online resources, directed reading and guided independent study and reflection. The lectures will introduce current knowledge on a range of biodiversity assessments, and students will be directed to wider reading to deepen this knowledge. Diverse workshops will be used to expand and implement knowledge and to develop practical, problem solving and information synthesis skills, and students will be expected to attend all four workshops. The online course will provide knowledge that students can work through at their own pace.

The coursework assessment will directly use the knowledge and skills developed from lectures and workshops, and so the students will have time to reflect on the material, and will be directed towards additional, optional online courses that they can use to expand their knowledge and inform their coursework.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessment

Zero Weighted Pass/Fail Assessments

Formative Assessments

Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The module requires knowledge building and the development of a broad conceptual understanding to support problem solving and information literacy skills development. The pass-fail assessment will test student’s scientific knowledge and understanding of a specific biodiversity assessment and will provide the opportunity for them to gain an externally recognised certificate. This can be completed at any time during the module and can be retaken as many times as necessary to achieve a pass.

The formative assessment will test students’ knowledge across the diverse types of biodiversity assessment, which will also act as a reminder of some of the important content they should consider in their summative assessment.

The summative coursework will require them to apply their problem solving and information literacy skills, and will be informed by knowledge provided in lectures, workshops and directed reading.

Reading Lists

• NES8318's Reading List

Timetable

• Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
• NES8318's Timetable