ENV 265 - Biodiversity & Ecosystem Resilience

4 credit(s)
Accelerating rates of environmental change and the continued loss of global biodiversity threaten the health of the world’s ecosystems and jeopardize ecosystem services that benefit humankind. This course will explore the meaning of biodiversity and ask how it is perceived, valued, measured, and protected. Can biodiversity be conserved while also meeting human needs now and into the future? Through the assessment of ecosystem resilience (the maintenance of ecosystem functions and services under stress), the risk of system failure can be determined. The maintenance of biodiversity is necessary for the long-term resilience of living systems in a world undergoing dramatic change.