Learn how to apply state-of-the-art scientific theory into practice of biodiversity restoration
Description
This course offers a practical experience in the field of biodiversity restoration. Principles and practice of biodiversity restoration is in an era of unprecedented biodiversity loss crucial to halt and reverse the decline of environmental degradation.
Program
The first halve of the course consists of a number of theoretical lectures that frequently makes use of real-life examples (3 credits).The second halve of the course consists of the practical aspects of biodiversity restoration that will be visited during excursion days (3 credits).In this second part we will be performing hands-on restoration actions of several different habitat types (forests, heathlands, grasslands, mires, specific populations of endangered species). We will focus attention on do’s and don’ts of restoration actions with particular focus on maintaining soil integrity, hydrological integrity, intensive care of relic populations of endangered species and climate-adaptive restoration. We will also focus on different methods of restoration actions including manual and machinal labor and when to apply what method depending on habitat type, presence of relic and cryptic populations and climatic conditions. Furthermore, we will place particular emphasize on restoration in a phased approach. We will learn monitoring methods to assess restoration success including plant population health assessment using matrix population modelling approach and insect population health using standardized tracking.Finally, we will apply and monitor different approaches of restoration actions in an long-term experimental design that can be used as a template for restoration actions in the future and as output to identify the best restoration approaches.
Study load: 6 ECTS credits
