Education

Our Doctoral Programme aims to produce first class professional scientists who are equally effective in communicating and disseminating the products of their research to managers, decision makers and the general public. As such we provide many opportunities for interaction with international researchers through our diverse collaborations with institutes across the world.

Doctoral Studies within the group offer training in plant ecology and ecological processes at local and landscape scales using tools, such as field experiments, genetic markers, microscopy and modeling. Additionally, training is given in statistical analyses, experimental design and writing of papers and proposals.

If you are interested in Doctoral Studies within this group please contact Jaboury Ghazoul.

At Bachelor and Masters levels we aim to provide an excellent teaching programme coupled with an informal learning environment for students in ecology and environmental sciences, making full use of modern media, field excursions and visiting scientists and practitioners. Our courses include numerous case studies and draw upon the extensive research experience available within the group.

Bachelor courses

Tropical Rain Forest Ecology

Course coordinator: Jaboury Ghazoul

Tropical rain forests contain most of the world's terrestrial biodiversity as well as immense carbon stores, and support the livelihoods of 1.5 billion people. This course addresses the ecology and management of tropical rain forests with a view to understanding the impact of land use change on their biodiversity, as well as food security, carbon storage, poverty alleviation and climate change.

Naturschutz / Conservation Biology

Course coordinator: Florian Knaus

In this course, the students explore theoretical foundations, conceptual models and practical implementations of conservation activities both in Switzerland and abroad. Based on case studies, they are introduced to different views, values and ideals inherent in these activities.

Masters courses

Foundations of Ecosystem Management

Course coordinator: Jaboury Ghazoul

Failure of traditional management has stimulated ecosystem management approaches that emphasise functionality of human-dominated systems, ecological processes and services, diverse spatial and temporal scales, and multiple stakeholder interests. This course explores ecosystem approaches to management and asks: is it realistic, how can it be achieved, and what are the barriers to its uptake?

Applied Ecosystem Management (Fieldcourse in Serbia)

Course coordinator: Florian Knaus

This course introduces students to an unfamiliar socio-ecological system that combines high depopulation rates and corruption with extraordinary cultural and biological diversity under high threat of loss. This system is explored with local stakeholders and in the field, analysed and measures identified that support both conservation and development goals.

Disturbance Ecology

Course coordinator: Andrea Pluess

The course outlines the theoretical developments in disturbance ecology, and aims to provide an overarching framework within which disturbances can be understood. It explores the role of disturbances in shaping communities and ecosystems, and how elements of ecosystems, including habitats, species and populations, respond to disturbance.

Managing for Resilience and Resistance

Course coordinator: Chris Kettle

The objective of this course is to consider how to manage populations, communities, landscapes and socio-economic as well as institutional systems in order to provide maximum resistance and resilience. This includes systems ability to absorb, cope with and adapt to environmental change, be it discrete perturbations or more chronic change.

Ecological Assessment and Evaluation

Course coordinator: Florian Knaus

The course provides methods and tools for ecological evaluations in nature conservation and landscape planning. It deals with census methods, sampling designs, ecological indices and criteria evaluating ecological data. Objectivty and accuracy of vailable methods and tools are critically appraised. Birds and plants are used as main example guiding through different case studies.

Readings in Environmental Thinking

Course coordinator: Jaboury Ghazoul

The rise of the environmental sciences, and the increasing importance of the environment in society and governance, has been dramatic and rapid. Issues in the environmental sciences are now so broad and important that they reach into all aspects of society, from food and land use, to water management, energy use, economics, culture and health. With such breadth it is easy to lose sight of the foundational ideas, texts, people and movements that pushed the environment up the social and political agenda. The course provides students with opportunities to read, discuss, evaluate and interpret key texts that have shaped the environmental movement and, more specifically, the environmental sciences.

PhD courses

Conservation Management Field Course, Scotland

Course coordinator: Jaboury Ghazoul

This course offered through the Plant Science Center allows PhD students to learn about ecology, conservation and management issues in a unique landscape. Each day excursions focus on specific important issues relating to conservation management in the area. Excursions are led by local experts representing science, management and policy, each of whom will explore with the students the complexities of the chosen topics. Topics encompass species, habitats and landscapes from economic, ecological and cultural perspectives across various spatial and temporal scales.