ASLA 448 Tropical Biology, Conservation, and Ecology

This course is an introduction to the many animals and ecosystems of the tropics through classroom, field, and laboratory work. Students will learn the types of biomes and their history, threats, and conservation. Building on students’ understanding of ecology, they will learn about efforts by both the government and non-governmental organizations to protect threatened ecosystems through logging and/or fishing bans, national parks, and accelerated recovery techniques. Students will also learn about community perspectives on these sensitive ecosystems. Field work for this course will include SCUBA diving and/or snorkeling with a conservation component, depending on the program location. The course is repeatable with a maximum of 9 total credits provided the topics are unique.

Credits

1 to 4